OKLAHOMA CITY — An 18-year-old Afghan national pleaded guilty to federal terrorism-related firearms charges after planning an ISIS-inspired attack targeting Election Day 2024, federal authorities announced. The case, investigated by the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), included critical support from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Abdullah Haji Zada, a lawful permanent resident originally from Afghanistan, admitted to conspiring to obtain firearms and ammunition with the intent to commit an act of terrorism. Court documents reveal that Zada and co-conspirator Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, acquired two AK-47-style rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition for the planned attack.
Zada, who was 17 at the time of his October 2024 arrest, was charged as an adult. He faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and mandatory deportation to Afghanistan after serving his sentence. As part of his plea agreement, he waived all rights to appeal or seek asylum.
USCIS Role in National Security
USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) unit, embedded with the Oklahoma City JTTF, provided immigration law expertise crucial to the investigation. FDNS officers work alongside law enforcement and intelligence agencies to identify threats to national security and public safety, ensuring immigration benefits are not exploited by malicious actors.
The JTTF involved multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and local law enforcement. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma and the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case.
This plea marks another success in federal efforts to disrupt domestic terror threats through interagency collaboration.
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