The FBI has arrested an Afghan man on suspicion of a terrorist plot in the US on election day

The US Department of Justice has arrested a man suspected of planning an election day attack on behalf of the Islamic State group.

The suspect, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, is a citizen of Afghanistan who lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, according to prosecutors.

“This defendant, inspired by ISIS, is suspected of plotting a violent attack, on Election Day, here in our country,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement Tuesday.

The FBI said he was trying to stockpile guns, and has taken steps to liquidate his family’s assets and move members overseas.

Mr. Tawhedi is charged with providing, attempting to provide, and conspiring to provide support or services to a foreign terrorist organization; and attempting to obtain firearms and ammunition for use in committing a crime or act of terrorism.

The FBI said Mr Tawhedi worked with an unnamed neighbor, a younger relative who is a citizen of Afghanistan. It accuses him of using Islamic State propaganda online, based on Google records obtained by law enforcement, and donating to a charity used as part of IS.

“We will continue to fight the continuing threat posed by ISIS and its supporters to America’s national security, and we will identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who seek to terrorize the American people,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.

According to BBC news partner CBS, the affidavit from federal investigators says Mr Tawhedi searched surveillance cameras in Washington, as well as web cameras showing the White House and the Washington Monument. It also reveals that he researched states with lax gun laws.

Mr Tawhedi demanded AK-47 rifles to use in the attack, authorities said. On October 7, he and his accomplice met with undercover FBI operatives to buy weapons and ammunition.

After the purchase, Mr. Tawhedi and his partner were arrested.

In an interview conducted after his arrest on Monday, the FBI said Mr. Tawhedi allegedly confirmed that he was planning an Election Day attack that would target “large gatherings of people” and that he planned to die doing it.

Mr Tawhedi arrived in the US in September 2021 on a special immigrant visa with his wife and young child. He was living in Oklahoma City at the time of his arrest.

It is not clear if he has a legal representative.