A group of Republican senators, led by Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Ranking Member Rand Paul, sent a letter last week to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, probing him on two Afghan nationals arrested earlier this month for suspected ties to a terror plot.
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was arrested by the FBI in Oklahoma earlier this month and charged with multiple crimes including conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State (ISIS). One other person, a minor, was also arrested over the Election Day plot.
Tawhedi has been legally in the United States since Sept. 9, 2021, after he was granted special parole permission to enter the country during Operation Allies Refuge following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"After entering the United States, Tawhedi promoted ISIS propaganda, sent funds to known charities linked to ISIS support networks, and liquidated all assets to purchase weapons; with the remaining funds intended for the ISIS Treasury," the senators wrote. "This alarming incident adds to a growing list of similar security breaches, raising serious concerns about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) ability to effectively protect our homeland."
The group of Republicans, which consists of Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Paul of Kentucky, and Roger Marshall of Kansas, asked Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security for all records and information on Tawhedi and the minor's immigration statuses and criminal history.
They also requested all communications between federal departments and agencies regarding the pair, including the information from their Terrorist Screening Data Set.
"The screening and vetting processes under the Biden-Harris administration are clearly failing, allowing criminals and individuals with terrorist links to exploit vulnerabilities in the system," the letter said. "Given the significant threat to American lives, it is imperative that we receive detailed information to fully understand the scope of these issues."
The charging documents allege that Tawhedi attempted to purchase semiautomatic firearms and ammunition in order to carry out the attack, and even had plans to resettle his family overseas ahead of the planned Nov. 5 attack.
It is not clear where the attack would have taken place, but Tawhedi allegedly Googled "How to access washington dc cameras" and "Which US state does not require relations to get a firearm?" and visited the White House and Washington Monument webcams in July. Tawhedi also told investigators that they intended to target "large gatherings of people."
The senators requested the information regarding Tawhedi by Nov. 8, just three days after the election, but also urged the department to respond faster if possible.
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