Metro residents react to Afghan national accused of plotting Election Day attack

An Afghan citizen living in Oklahoma City and his 17-year-old co-conspirator are at the center of an investigation into suspected terrorist threats.

Federal authorities said 27-year-old Nasir Tawhedi and the teenager planned to carry out an attack on election day in the name of ISIS.

The local FBI special agent in charge thanked agents in the Oklahoma City office and Joint Terrorism Task Force partners for their quick action. Authorities said Tawhedi and his co-conspirator not only planned an attack but were prepared to die as martyrs. “What’s more disturbing is the fact that a man was willing to take a child with him to kill himself in many ways,” said neighbor Kristen Robertson.

Kristen Robertson said he witnessed authorities searching the apartment above his this week. “We looked up, they were pulling stuff out,” Robertson said.

Robertson was shocked to learn that Tawhedi lived there with his wife and young child. “Never put two and two together because they left us alone, we left them alone,” Robertson said. “But when they came down they were really complacent and didn’t want anything to do with anyone.”

About two miles from Oklahoma City’s southwest apartment complex, residents who lived near a home in Moore also saw a large police presence this week. The FBI criminal complaint listed the Moore address where Tawhedi’s relatives lived, including his 17-year-old co-conspirator. Agents said the house was put up for sale in July to raise money to send Tawhedi’s family to Afghanistan. “They plan terrorist attacks and sell everything,” Robertson said. “This is stupid. “

Court documents revealed that Tawhedi and a 17-year-old were arrested Monday in rural Oklahoma after purchasing two AK-47 assault rifles, 10 magazines and 500 rounds of ammunition. “I feel like there’s more to it than that,” Robertson said. “There are more people, but I guess from now on we can celebrate the victory with yesterday’s raid and the people we learned about.”

The FBI’s investigation revealed that Tawhedi had searched on Google how to access webcams in Washington DC and which US states had no-gun laws.