An Afghan refugee arrested in Oklahoma this week for allegedly plotting a terror attack on Election Day previously served as a security guard for the CIA in Afghanistan, according to a new report. Officials said 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi entered the U.S. in 2021, just days after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
As the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan, the Biden administration granted visas to more than 70,000 Afghans. According to the Department of Justice, Tawhedi entered the U.S. on a visa, which required a thorough screening process.
However, two U.S. officials told NBC News that this is inaccurate, stating that Tawhedi actually entered through a humanitarian parole program, which required far less screening than those arriving on a visa.
It remains unclear whether he had ties to ISIS prior to entering the U.S. or if he was radicalized in the three years since his arrival.
While sources tell NBC News that Tawhedi worked for the CIA in the Middle East, they noted he was not a CIA informant and had minimal interaction with American personnel.
In the weeks leading up to his arrest, Tawhedi was allegedly preparing for a planned attack, ordering AK-47s, liquidating his family’s assets and buying two one-way tickets for his wife and child to return to Afghanistan.
Officials said he planned to die a martyr alongside an accomplice identified as a juvenile by the DOJ.
Tawhedi has been charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Authorities have not yet revealed how he or his plans came to their attention.