WASHINGTON — A US lawful permanent resident from Afghanistan pleaded guilty on Thursday to terrorism-related firearms charges for plotting an Election Day attack in 2024 on behalf of ISIS, the Justice Department said.
Abdullah Haji Zada, 18, admitted to receiving, attempting to receive, and conspiring to receive firearms and ammunition, knowing they would be used in a terrorist attack intended to disrupt the US elections. Abdullah and a co-conspirator, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, were arrested in October 2024.
According to court documents, Zada and Tawhedi obtained two AK-47-style rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition to support an assault on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization. Zada, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, entered his guilty plea as an adult and will be sentenced accordingly.
He faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of his plea agreement, Zada accepted a judicial order of removal to Afghanistan following the completion of his sentence, waiving his lawful permanent resident status and his right to seek asylum or appeal his deportation.
Tawhedi remains in custody and is awaiting trial on separate charges of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and conspiring to receive firearms for terrorist purposes. If convicted, he faces up to 35 years in prison.
The case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma. The FBI’s Oklahoma City Joint Terrorism Task Force led the investigation, with support from multiple federal and local agencies.
