FBI says it thwarted plot for Election Day terror attack by Afghan national

U.S. officials on Tuesday said they had thwarted a plot to carry out a terror attack in the U.S. on Election Day by an Afghan citizen with ties to ISIS.

The Justice Department unsealed charges against Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, who now lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Justice accuses Tawhedi of purchaseing two AK-47 assault rifles, ten magazines, and 500 rounds of ammunition from an FBI source. It says his brother-in-law, a juvenile, acted as an accomplice.

Court filings indicate Tawhedi said he had planned to carry out an attack on Election Day in both seized communications with an ISIS recruiter and in speaking to law enforcement after his arrest. They say he intended to target large gatherings of people and that both he and his brother-in-law expected to die as martyrs in the attack.

“This defendant, motivated by ISIS, allegedly conspired to commit a violent attack, on Election Day, here on our homeland," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. 

"I am proud of the men and women of the FBI who uncovered and stopped the plot before anyone was harmed. Terrorism is still the FBI's number one priority, and we will use every resource to protect the American people."