It isn’t yet known whether the man, who worked for the CIA in Afghanistan, radicalized before or after he arrived in the U.S. following the chaotic American withdrawal.
An Afghan man arrested in Oklahoma for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack on U.S. Election Day had previously worked as a security guard for the CIA in Afghanistan, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was detained on charges of planning to kill Americans using an assault rifle on behalf of ISIS. The federal documents against him mention his contributions to an ISIS-linked charity and his online access to ISIS propaganda. However, the investigation has not determined whether he radicalized before or after relocating to the U.S. in 2021.
Tawhedi entered the United States in September 2021, shortly after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The government has stated that every Afghan resettling in the U.S. undergoes a rigorous screening and vetting process, including checks against U.S. databases. Despite this, Tawhedi passed the vetting process twice—once before arriving and again after he applied for a Special Immigrant Visa. The visa was granted because of his prior work with the U.S. government. However, Tawhedi had not completed the final steps of the visa process before his arrest.
While it was initially reported that Tawhedi entered on a Special Immigrant Visa, officials later clarified that he entered on humanitarian parole. This status generally involves less stringent screening than a Special Immigrant Visa. The FBI and other agencies are continuing to investigate whether Tawhedi’s radicalization occurred before or after he arrived in the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security has declined to comment on the specific details of his case but reiterated that Afghan evacuees are subject to multi-layered vetting.
Tawhedi’s case has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the screening process, particularly as some of the vetting procedures, such as those for humanitarian parole, might not be as thorough. However, officials maintain that when new intelligence emerges, appropriate actions are taken to address any potential threats.
