A deal that uncovered an ISIS plot: Afghan man convicted of planning an attack during the U.S. election
A U.S. federal court on Wednesday sentenced 19-year-old Afghan national Abdullah Haji Zada to fifteen years in prison after finding him guilty of planning a large-scale attack on the day of the U.S. presidential election.
Haji Zada had admitted last April to attempting to purchase weapons and ammunition in preparation for a “federal terrorist offense” on behalf of the ISIS terrorist organization.
He was arrested along with his partner, Nasser Ahmad Tawhidi, 28, in Oklahoma in October 2024, just weeks before the November 5 election. Tawhidi also admitted his role in the plot, though a sentencing date has not yet been set.
How was the plot uncovered?
Court documents revealed that the two suspects were seeking to obtain two Kalashnikov rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition to carry out an attack intended to inflict mass casualties on Election Day. However, the seller they contacted was secretly working as an informant for the FBI, allowing authorities to expose and thwart the plan.
FBI Special Agent Doug Goodwater stated that the two men “shamefully turned their backs on the country that had given them security and refuge”, adding that had the plot succeeded, it could have triggered a major security disaster on a pivotal day in U.S. history.
Haji Zada, who was only 17 at the time of his arrest, was tried as an adult and entered his plea on April 17, 2025. Under the plea agreement, he consented to a judicial order for his deportation to Afghanistan upon release, the termination of his lawful permanent resident status, and the waiver of his right to appeal or file any asylum or protection claims.
Federal Judge Scott Palk sentenced him to fifteen years in prison.
The second defendant, Nasser Ahmad Tawhidi, pleaded guilty in June 2025 to multiple charges, including conspiracy, attempting to provide material support to ISIS, and receiving weapons and ammunition in support of a federal terrorism offense. He faces up to twenty years in prison for material support, and an additional fifteen years for the weapons offense. His sentencing date has not yet been set.
After completing their sentences, both Haji Zada and Tawhidi will be permanently removed from the United States under agreed-upon court orders, with a lifetime ban on reentry.
The investigation was led by the Oklahoma City Joint Terrorism Task Force, with the participation of several agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and numerous federal and local law enforcement partners.
The case was handled by several Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Western District of Oklahoma, supported by investigators and attorneys from counterterrorism and anti-money-laundering divisions.
