Afghan national charged with suicide attack plot days after deadly National Guard shooting
Afghan national charged with suicide attack plot days after deadly National Guard shooting
An Afghan national was arrested in Texas on Tuesday for allegedly making bomb threats on social media, just one day before another Afghan national shot two National Guard members in Washington, DC that left one soldier dead.
Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, 30, threatened to carry out a suicide bombing during a November 23 video call, which was recorded and posted to social media.
The Justice Department announced on Tuesday charges against the Afghanistan citizen for transmitting threatening communication in interstate commerce.
The complaint alleges that Alokozay, who is currently living in Fort Worth, Texas, threatened the other call participants as well as ‘infidels’ and Americans.
Alokozay is in custody pending an initial appearance. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Both Alokozay and the alleged DC shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, came to the US under Operation Allies Welcome, spokespeople for the Justice Department and Homeland Security confirmed to the Daily Mail.
The initiative under President Joe Biden allowed vulnerable Afghans, including those who helped American forces in the Middle East, to come to the US during the disastrous withdrawal in August 2021.
Lakanwal, like many, was given parole status by the previous administration.
Parole status is a discretionary DHS permission giving non-citizens entry into the US who are otherwise ineligible to apply for admission to physical enter or remain in the country. It usually is for a specific period or purpose – in this case to allow those who helped US forces get out of Afghanistan amid the withdrawal.
While interacting with two other male voices on the call, Alokozay threatened in Dari to conduct a suicide attack by making a bomb in his vehicle and using a cooking oil container often used by the Taliban to build improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan.
Alozokay in the call said the Taliban are dear to him and claimed he came to the US to kill those who were on the call. He also said he wanted to conduct a suicide attack on Americans.
The complaint states that Alokozay says he was not afraid to get deported or killed.
The DOJ released a screenshot from the video call that was posted to multiple social media sites, including TikTok, X, and Facebook.
‘This Afghan national came into America during the Biden administration and as alleged, explicitly stated that he came here in order to kill American citizens,’ Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a Tuesday statement on the arrest and charges.
‘The public safety threat created by the Biden administration’s vetting breakdown cannot be overstated – the Department of Justice will continue working with our federal and state partners to protect the American people from the prior administration’s dangerous incompetence.’
