Mr Tawhedi is charged with providing, attempting to provide and conspiring to provide support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization. It also includes attempts to procure firearms and ammunition for use in committing felonies or acts of terrorism.
The FBI said Tawedi worked with an unnamed co-conspirator who was a minor relative and citizen of Afghanistan. Police accused him of consuming Islamic State propaganda over the Internet and donating to charities used as a front for IS, based on Google records obtained by law enforcement.
“We will continue to combat the ongoing threat ISIS and its supporters pose to American national security, and we will identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who seek to terrorize the American people,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Authorities said they found an AK-47 assault rifle he used in the attack. On October 7, Mr. Tawedi and a co-conspirator met with individuals who were actually working undercover for the FBI to purchase weapons and ammunition. Confirmed after purchase.
In interviews conducted after his arrest Monday, the FBI said Mr. Tawedi had planned an Election Day attack that would target “large gatherings.” They reportedly planned to die during the attack.
Mr. Tawedi arrived in the United States in September 2021 on a special immigrant visa with his wife and young child. He lived in Oklahoma City at the time of his arrest.
It was not immediately clear whether he had legal representation.
