US charges Afghan citizen of planning terror attack on Election Day

The Justice Department late Tuesday announced charges against a citizen of Afghanistan residing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for conspiring to conduct an Election Day terrorist attack in the US on behalf of the Islamic State (IS). The Justice Department said in a statement that a criminal complaint filed against Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, who conspired and attempted to provide material support to IS and obtained firearms and ammunition to conduct a violent attack on US soil in the name of IS. As part of the plot, the defendant allegedly took steps to liquidate his family's assets, resettle members of his family overseas, acquire AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition, and commit a terrorist attack in the United States. "As charged, the Justice Department foiled the defendant's plot to acquire semi-automatic weapons and commit a violent attack in the name of ISIS on U.S. soil on Election Day," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "We will continue to combat the ongoing threat that ISIS and its supporters p ose to America's national security, and we will identify, investigate, and prosecute the individuals who seek to terrorize the American people." Tawhedi was charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to IS, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, and receiving a firearm to be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years, if convicted. Source: Kuwait News Agency