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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Snattlerake" data-source="post: 4341092" data-attributes="member: 44288"><h2>Oklahoma AG: Tawhedi plot a 'failure of the Biden Administration'</h2>READ THIS WHOLE THING!  There is a lot of information we were wondering about in it.Oklahoma's Republican attorney general, Gentner Drummond, called Tawhedi an example of the failure of the Biden Administration to properly vet Afghan refugees."We face the unsettling prospect that Tawhedi is not the only terrorist brought here by our own government," Drummond said.The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday defended the screening process.“Afghan evacuees who sought to enter the United States were subject to multi-layered screening and vetting against intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism information," the statement said. "If new information emerges after arrival, appropriate action is taken."<h2>Tawhedi arrest comes amid focus on potential Election Day violence</h2>The arrests come at a time of increased focus on the potential of violence surrounding Election Day. In a threat assessment released Oct. 2, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, though, warned the danger comes from homegrown extremists."Some domestic violent extremists (DVEs) likely view a wide range of targets indirectly and directly associated with elections as viable targets for violence with the intent of instilling fear among voters, candidates, and election workers, as well as disrupting election processes leading up to and after the November election," the department said.A Department of Homeland Security official said Wednesday that the alleged Oklahoma plot appears to be an isolated case."At this time, we have not seen specific threats from terrorists to elections," said Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.Tawhedi was charged Tuesday in Oklahoma City federal court with two felonies that carry a maximum punishment of 35 years in prison.More: <a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/10/09/oklahoma-terrorist-attack-afghan-nasir-ahmad-tawhedi-arrested-okc-everything-we-know/75586071007/" target="_blank">Afghan national arrested in OKC for Election Day terrorist plot: Everything we know so far</a>He is accused in the first count of conspiring to provide support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. He is accused in the second count of conspiring to receive firearms and ammunition to commit terrorism.His court-appointed attorney, Craig Hoehns, did not respond to requests for comment on his behalf. Prosecutors on Wednesday notified the Afghanistan Consulate of his arrest.<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/09/12/merrick-garland-justice-department-not-political/75190874007/" target="_blank">U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland</a> announced the arrests on Tuesday, saying the Justice Department had foiled the plot.“We will continue to combat the ongoing threat that ISIS and its supporters pose to America’s national security, and we will identify, investigate, and prosecute the individuals who seek to terrorize the American people," he said.FBI Director Christopher Wray also said the plot was uncovered and stopped before anyone was harmed."Terrorism is still the FBI's number one priority, and we will use every resource to protect the American people," he said.<h2>When did Nasir Tawhedi arrive in the United States?</h2>Tawhedi arrived in the United States on Sept. 9, 2021, and was here on a special immigrant visa, according to the FBI affidavit. The timing coincides with a period in which thousands of Afghans fleeing their country amid the Taliban takeover were being relocated in cities across the U.S. About 1,000 Afghans were relocated in Oklahoma City.Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City, which helped resettle Afghan refugees, has no record of him, its executive director, Patrick Raglow, said. Online records show an address for him in 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri.The special immigrant visa program is available to people who worked with the U.S. armed forces or under chief of mission authority as a translator or interpreter in Iraq or Afghanistan, Reuters reported. It is unlikely Tawhedi would have been a translator because the FBI said he did not speak English well.Also, the State Department said Wednesday that Tawhedi might not have been let into the United States under the special immigrant visa after all."We are looking into it,” spokesman Matthew Miller said. “I know the Department of Justice said ... that he came on an SIV, but it’s not clear that that is actually accurate. I know that we are talking to other government agencies about it."<h2>Neighbors say family kept to themselves</h2>Tawhedi lived in a small upstairs apartment overlooking a pond and fountain at Brookwood Village near S Shartel Avenue and SW 89, The Oklahoman confirmed. In July, he reported his car had been stolen from the complex.<img src="https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1rZ3D0.img?w=768&h=512&m=6" alt="Nasir Tawhedi lived in a second-floor apartment in south Oklahoma City." class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Nasir Tawhedi lived in a second-floor apartment in south Oklahoma City.© DOUG HOKE/THEOKLAHOMANThe brother-in-law was called a co-conspirator by the FBI. He was identified in the affidavit as a citizen of Afghanistan who lives with his parents and siblings at a single-family home in Moore. He entered the United States on March 27, 2018, also on a special immigrant visa, according to the affidavit. A sister is married to Tawhedi.Neighbors said the residents at the home in Moore were often seen working on cars and kept to themselves. One neighbor recalled seeing authorities approach the house with guns drawn. "It's kinda freaky," he said.The FBI reported the two were preparing to repatriate most of their immediate family to Afghanistan. They had purchased one-way plane tickets for travel Oct. 17 from Dallas to Kabul for Tawhedi's wife and child and for the boy's mother and siblings, according to the affidavit. They also had found new homes for family pets.The house in Moore was listed for sale in July at $230,000, according to the affidavit. It was relisted in September at $190,000 and is now under contract with a closing sale date of Oct. 15.The Justice Department did not disclose how the alleged plot was uncovered. The FBI indicated in the affidavit its agents have been investigating since at least August.More: <a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/08/30/elections-2024-oklahoma-county-election-board-security-barriers-safety/74985528007/" target="_blank">Why Homeland Security told the OK County Election Board to beef up security at its offices</a>Tawhedi made his comment about his shooting experience on Sept. 14 after one of the FBI sources got the two to come to the rural location to test fire guns, according to the affidavit. At the FBI's direction, the source had first met with them to buy personal property advertised for sale on Facebook.The source had said he would buy a personal computer and Chromebook "for my new gun business that I'm starting."At the Sept. 14 meeting, the undercover FBI employee and another source posed as the first source's business partners, according to the affidavit. Tawhedi agreed then to buy the two assault rifles for $1,000 each.The brother-in-law also was asked about his experience with shooting, according to the affidavit. He responded, "Yeah, I did, with my dad in Afghanistan. ... I shot a, what's it called, with a handgun."The FBI reported the evidence against Tawhedi includes messages he sent to a facilitator of people interested in engaging in jihad. He admitted after his arrest he knew the man was affiliated with ISIS, the FBI said.In a Sept. 22 message, according to the affidavit, he wrote, "Brother, our house was sold today. We'll receive the money by the 15th of October, next month. After that we will begin our duty, God willing, with the help of God, we will get ready for the election day."In a Sept. 25 message, he wrote his father-in-law's house had sold for $185,000 "but my father-in-law is not aware of anything," according to the affidavit. He also wrote "if there is money left over, then we will give it, God willing."The FBI reported Google records show Tawhedi accessed, viewed and saved ISIS propaganda. The evidence found on Google included an image of an armed militant in front of fire, smoke, rubble and the U.S. Capitol "with an ISIS flag being flown above it," according to the affidavit.In March, he completed cryptocurrency transactions valued at at least $540 to a charity that fronts for and funnels money to ISIS, the FBI said.Tuesday night, Gov. Kevin Stitt said: “I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our investigators and law enforcement officers for successfully uncovering and stopping this terrorist plot before innocent lives were put in danger. This is a powerful example of how the information-sharing measures we implemented between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are making a real difference.“Those who seek to harm our nation, threaten our freedoms, and disrupt our way of life will be held accountable and face the full force of the law.”The Afghans sent to the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas were welcomed by several agencies and coalitions that took on the task of helping them attain housing, education and employment. Some difficulties arose when these groups were faced with finding housing for a large number of Afghans in a short amount of time.Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City hosted Stitt on a August 2022 tour of several apartment complexes where Afghans were experiencing issues with poorly maintained apartment units, among other problems.Imad Enchassi, senior imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, said he did not know Tawhedi and had never seen him at the Islamic Society's mosque in northwest Oklahoma City.Enchassi said minority communities unfortunately typically experience backlash when something negative is connected to them. "We have hundreds of law-abiding Afghan citizens here making their home here in Oklahoma City," the imam said.USA Today reporter Bart Jansen and Oklahoman staff writers Dale Denwalt, Josh Dulaney and Carla Hinton contributed to this report.This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: <a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/10/09/oklahoma-terrorist-attack-plot-election-day-foiled-nasir-ahmad-tawhedi/75588395007/" target="_blank">Oklahoma AG: Election Day terrorist plot a 'failure of the Biden Administration'</a></blockquote>

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