Afghan national accused of plotting Election Day attack previously worked for CIA in Afghanistan

Washington – The Afghan citizen charged with planning a terrorist attack on election day was previously employed by the CIA in a security role in Afghanistan, CBS News has confirmed.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who was arrested in Oklahoma City on Monday, is accused of planning the attack on behalf of ISIS.

Tawhedi, along with unnamed co-conspirators – including a teenager who is Tawhedi’s brother-in-law – took several steps to carry out the attack in the United States, including selling her family home and belongings, and was in the process of relocating her family abroad Purchasing firearms and ammunition, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.

Tawhedi, 27, traveled to the United States in September 2021, a few days after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. According to a Department of Homeland Security official, he was initially paroled into the United States on September 9, 2021 and currently has a pending application for lawful permanent resident status based on an approved special immigrant visa application.

According to the State Department, the United States is offering special immigrant visas to people who have worked in its armed forces or under the direction of the chief of mission as translators or interpreters in Iraq or Afghanistan.

“Every Afghan resettled in the United States undergoes a rigorous screening and vetting process, regardless of which U.S. government agency they worked with,” a U.S. official told CBS News. “This process includes review of a full range of relevant U.S. records and holdings.”

The CIA declined to comment. NBC News first reported Tawhedi’s employment with the CIA.

Federal investigators allege Tawhedi sought access to surveillance and security cameras in Washington, D.C., and in late July reviewed webcams that showed the White House and the Washington Monument. They also believe Tawhedi was looking for places where gun laws were more lax.

Tawhedi and his brother-in-law were given two AK-47 rifles on Monday, shortly before their arrest, according to the criminal complaint.

In an interview with investigators after his arrest, Tawhedi said they bought the weapons to carry out an election day attack and target large gatherings of people in which they “expected martyrdom,” the lawsuit says.

Tawhedi, who remains in custody, is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on October 17.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.