FBI arrests Afghan man, officials say he was planning an election day attack in the US
Updated: October 8, 2024 5:24 PM CDT
Discussions, calls, and promotions for November 5th are in full swing. But what happens after that? We asked after the polls closed. Because the last presidential election sparked a violent and deadly insurrection at the heart of our democracy on January 6th. And that was despite repeated claims by those responsible for monitoring the election that the vote was accurate. Kathy Boockvard served as Pennsylvania Secretary of State in 2020. He is currently president of Athena Strategies, where he works with government officials to strengthen election security. Thank you very much for joining us in the studio. Thank you so much for being with me. So let’s start with that. The next moment. Voting is now closed. What most people don't realize is that elections in this country are completely decentralized. That’s why people are thinking about this national election. But the reality is that there are more than 9,000 election jurisdictions in this country. Elections are held at the local level. So the situation after the vote is a little different. But what is consistent is that there are bipartisan staff, volunteers, and monitors overseeing the process, and layers of security and integrity are built into every step. We and the American people desperately need answers. election night. It’s like the polls are almost over and we need to know that. Yes, but the truth is that most states don't certify elections for three weeks after Election Day. That’s because we have every layer of security and integrity in our process. How much leeway do those certifying elections have? Certification is therefore generally seen as a non-discretionary role for ministers, as recently experienced by the Vice President who was pressured not to certify results. And we all know that humans can be pressured to do certain things. And I think that’s where the general public feels, “Isn’t that dangerous?” There are a lot of guardrails. Therefore, it is important to be careful. The reality is that we’re going to see some of that in November. Some may feel pressured to delay or deny certification. However, in practice, officials who refuse, take advantage of, or collude with these people’s delays or refusals may be subject to civil, criminal, or both charges. Penalties, like harsh penalties, can we talk about Georgia for a second? Because we believe there are changes in the rules that could actually affect certification. What has changed? So the changes they’re trying to make are really poorly designed to allow local election officials to do tacit scrutiny of whatever the outcome of the election is. What many people don't realize is that Georgia has one of the earliest certification deadlines in the country. Therefore, county election officials must issue certificates as early as six days after Election Day. So the new rules, you know, I don't know, are intended to inject this ability to instill conspiracy theories and doubts about what happened. They don't work alone. right. Let’s be honest, this is a 2024 example. It’s in America. right. So we have non-electoral commissions, state election commissions, who are political appointees, who have ties to extremist national movements, who are deliberately trying to sow doubt and delay our elections. That’s what I’m trying to do. So they’re behind this. Election workers who actually work in election campaigns and know how safe it is. Everyone is against it. The only people pushing it are political secretaries with ties to the former president. As someone who has spent much of his career thinking about election security, what worries me? The rampant defamation in our public spaces, yes. and anger and deliberate incitement of adversity between neighbor and neighbor. I want candidates and elected officials to lower the temperature. We can all trust that there is a great deal of security and integrity in our elections. And even if an outcome we don't want happens in November, we need to believe that it is the will of the people. That’s how our democracy works. Kathy Boockvar, thank you for joining us.
FBI arrests Afghan man, officials say planning election day attack in US
Updated: October 8, 2024 5:24 PM CDT
The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it has arrested an Afghan man it says was inspired by the Islamic State group and was planning an election day attack targeting large crowds in the United States. Nasir Ahmad Tauhedi, 27, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, told investigators after his arrest Monday that he was planning the attack to coincide with Election Day next month, according to the indictment. According to charging documents, he said he expected he and his co-conspirator to die as martyrs. Tauhedi, who entered the United States in 2021 on a special immigrant visa, has taken steps in recent weeks to advance his attack plans, including ordering an AK-47 rifle, liquidating his family’s assets and buying one-way tickets for him and his wife. was being taught. FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement: “Terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority and we will use every resource to protect the American people.” The Justice Department told Tauhedi after his arrest: Tauhedi told investigators that he was planning an election day attack targeting large gatherings of people. Tauhedi was charged with conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State group, which the United States lists as a foreign terrorist organization. It will soon become clear whether he has a lawyer willing to speak on his behalf.
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced Tuesday the arrest of an Afghan man who authorities say was inspired by the Islamic State group and was planning an election-day attack targeting large crowds in the United States.
After his arrest on Monday, Nasir Ahmad Tawhidi, 27, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, told law enforcement authorities that he was planning the attack to coincide with next month’s Election Day and that he was co-conspirating with him, according to the indictment. The boy said he expected to die as a martyr. .
Related video above: Government officials work on efforts to cast doubt on election results
Tauhedi, who entered the United States in 2021 on a special immigrant visa, has taken steps in recent weeks to advance his attack plans, including ordering an AK-47 rifle, liquidating his family’s assets and purchasing one-way tickets for his wife and child. was being taught. Return to Afghanistan.
“Terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority and we will use every resource to protect the American people,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
The Justice Department said Tauhedi told investigators after his arrest that he was planning a polling day attack targeting a large gathering.
Tauhedi was charged with conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State, an extremist group designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.
It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
