Afghan national charged with Election Day terror plot reignites vetting concerns: ‘Glaring alarms’

The apprehension of an Afghan national present accused of plotting an Election Day panic onslaught connected behalf of ISIS, and who entered the United States soon aft the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, is reigniting long-standing questions and concerns from Republicans astir the vetting of those who came to the U.S. astatine that time.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi is said to person obtained firearms and ammunition to behaviour a convulsive onslaught connected U.S. ungraded and took steps to hole for the plot. Tawhedi, who was arrested connected Monday, is charged with conspiring and attempting to supply worldly enactment to ISIS and receiving a firearm to beryllium utilized to perpetrate a felony oregon a national transgression of terrorism. Authorities accidental helium liquidated his family's assets to concern his plan, including purchasing rifles and one-way tickets for his woman and kid backmost to Afghanistan.

"This defendant, motivated by ISIS, allegedly conspired to perpetrate a convulsive attack, connected predetermination day, present connected our homeland," said FBI Director Christopher Wray successful a statement. "I americium arrogant of the men and women of the FBI who uncovered and stopped the crippled earlier anyone was harmed. Terrorism is inactive the FBI's fig 1 priority, and we volition usage each assets to support the American people." 

AFGHAN MAN IN OKLAHOMA PLOTTED ELECTION DAY TERROR ATTACK IN US ON BEHALF OF ISIS, JUSTICE DEPT SAYS

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi (Department of Justice)

Authorities said Tawhedi entered the United States connected Sept. 9, 2021, connected a Special Immigrant Visa and is presently connected parole presumption pending adjudication of his immigration proceedings. His alleged co-conspirator is simply a greenish paper holder who arrived successful the U.S. connected a Special Immigrant Visa successful 2018.

Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), made disposable archetypal during the Bush administration, allowed those who worked with the U.S. equipped forces arsenic a translator oregon interpreter successful Afghanistan oregon Iraq to get a visa. The fig of SIV applicants accrued sharply amid the 2021 withdrawal.

But Tawhedi entered soon aft the withdrawal from Afghanistan, a clip that saw planes afloat of Afghans being rapidly evacuated from Kabul's airdrome and tens of thousands of Afghans brought to the U.S. The U.S. would spell connected to admit much than 97,000 evacuees, of which astir 77,000 were admitted via humanitarian parole, done a programme called Operation Allies Welcome. 

It is unclear however Tawhedi entered the U.S. and besides wherefore helium would person moved from a SIV to a parole status. But Republicans and watchdog officials person agelong expressed interest astir the vetting of those who came successful during that period. Those concerns person been renewed successful the lawsuit of Tawhedi.

"When tens of thousands of insufficiently vetted individuals are fto into the interior, this is the inevitable result," House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., said successful a statement. "This Committee has repeatedly warned of the panic threats stemming from the Biden-Harris administration's failed enactment and disastrous borderline information policies. 

DHS OIG FAULTS AFGHAN VETTING, WARNS NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS MAY HAVE ENTERED US

"Unfortunately, our calls for transparency regarding the inadequate vetting and screening pursuing the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan proceed to spell unanswered – and, here, Americans astir paid the price," helium said.

In the Senate, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said helium had been vocal astir the request to thoroughly vet SIV applicants but that the Biden medication had been "quick to disregard those glaring alarms."

"The fig 1 occupation of our authorities is to support its citizens. By hiding down clerical excuses, refusing to instrumentality accountability and neglecting to code known vulnerabilities successful vetting and resettlement processes, the Biden-Harris medication failed to prioritize Americans’ information and, erstwhile again, projected weakness connected the planetary stage," Grassley said successful a statement. 

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York besides blamed the administration.

Passengers committee an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III successful enactment of the Afghanistan evacuation, Aug. 24, 2021, successful Kabul, Afghanistan. (U.S. Central Command Public Affairs)

"Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi was flown into the U.S. by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Their catastrophic America Last overseas argumentation has made America little safe," she said successful a statement.

Concerns astir vetting person been voiced by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) interior watchdog. In 2022, the DHS Office of Inspector General released a study successful which it said it recovered that officials "did not ever person captious information to decently screen, vet, oregon inspect the evacuees."

DHS ANNOUNCES TERROR BAR EXEMPTIONS FOR AFGHAN EVACUEES WHO WORKED FOR TALIBAN-ERA CIVIL SERVICE 

"As a result, DHS whitethorn person admitted oregon paroled individuals into the United States who airs a hazard to nationalist information and the information of section communities," the study said.

A Pentagon inspector wide report the aforesaid twelvemonth revealed that astatine slightest 50 evacuees were brought to the U.S. whose accusation indicated "potentially superior information concerns" and that officials were incapable to find dozens with derogatory information.

A 2024 study recovered "vulnerabilities" successful the processes of 2 DHS agencies for resolving derogatory information. It besides recovered that DHS did not person a process for monitoring the expiration of the two-year parole play and guidelines for determining "re-parole" for parolees are "undefined."

But the Biden medication has repeatedly defended the vetting process, arguing that determination is simply a multilayered process that includes classified and unclassified vetting, including against Pentagon and FBI databases arsenic good arsenic Interpol notices and different information. It antecedently pushed backmost against the 2022 IG report, saying it failed to admit an "unprecedented full of authorities effort" and for seeing lone 1 portion of the screening process.

"Afghan evacuees who sought to participate the United States were taxable to multi layered screening and vetting against intelligence, instrumentality enforcement, and counterterrorism information," a DHS spokesperson said connected Wednesday. "If caller accusation emerges aft arrival, due enactment is taken." 

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Officials person noted that vetting is simply a "point-in-time" cheque of existent information. It is inactive not wide if determination was immoderate derogatory accusation connected Tawhedi  before helium arrived.

The apprehension comes among broader concerns astir the imaginable for coercion successful the U.S. by overseas nationals. Fox News Digital reported connected Tuesday that authorities person started deporting 8 Tajik nationals who came to the U.S. astatine the confederate borderline and were released but aboriginal recovered to allegedly person ties to ISIS.

Fox News' Louis Casiano and David Spunt, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.