An Afghan man named Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who worked as a security guard for the CIA in Afghanistan, was arrested in Oklahoma after being accused of plotting a terrorist attack on Election Day. Tawhedi, who came to the United States in 2021, was said to have contributed to an ISIS charity and accessed ISIS propaganda. The FBI is investigating whether he was radicalized before or after arriving in the US. Although Tawhedi underwent a rigorous screening process before entering the country, concerns have been raised about the vetting of Afghan evacuees following the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Tawhedi indicated in communications that he planned the attack for Election Day and expected to die as a martyr. He was arrested along with a juvenile co-conspirator as they attempted to purchase weapons for the planned attack. Despite concerns about his background, officials have not disclosed how Tawhedi was vetted before entering the US. It was initially reported that he entered on a Special Immigrant Visa, but it was later clarified that he entered on humanitarian parole, which involves less rigorous screening. Tawhedi did not have close interactions with Americans during his work in Afghanistan and was not affiliated with the CIA’s “Zero Units” paramilitary force. The case has become politically charged, with some blaming the Biden-Harris administration for allowing Tawhedi into the country.
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