Plot to Attack Thwarted: Afghan National Indicted

An Afghan national faced federal charges on Tuesday for allegedly planning a suicide attack using a vehicle.

Mohammad Dawood Alokozai, residing in Fort Worth, Texas, had posted videos on TikTok, X, and Facebook just before Thanksgiving. In these recordings, he expressed intentions to target Americans and labeled them “infidels.” He mentioned wanting to use an improvised explosive device made with yellow cooking oil, which he claimed is favored by the Taliban to execute his plans, according to the Department of Justice.

A video call on November 23 showed Alokozai, visibly angry, speaking in Dari—a language widely spoken in Afghanistan—while interacting with at least two other individuals, as noted in a Justice Department release.

The FBI’s Dallas Field Office, together with the Fort Worth Bureau of Habitat and Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, managed to avert the potential threat. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, has charged Alokozai, 30, with making interstate threatening communications.

Currently, Alokozai is in custody pending his first court appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge.

Attorney General Pam Bondi commented on the situation, mentioning, “This Afghan national entered the United States during the Biden administration and made clear his intentions to kill American citizens.” She further emphasized the severity of the threat to public safety stemming from what she described as a lack of proper scrutiny by the previous administration, affirming the Justice Department’s commitment to collaborate with federal and state partners to safeguard Americans.