An Afghan national living in the United States has been charged with threatening to build a bomb, carry out a suicide attack, and kill Americans, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, announced on Friday.
Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, 30, faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.
The US Department of Homeland Security earlier confirmed that an Afghan refugee had been arrested on suspicion of making terroristic threats. According to the Department of Justice, Alokozay recorded video messages on 23 November in which he issued threats, prompting the charges against him.
Officials said the videos were posted across multiple social media platforms, including TikTok, X, and Facebook. In the recordings, Alokozay allegedly threatened to carry out a suicide attack, issued threats against “infidels” and Americans, praised the Taliban, and claimed he had come to the United States to kill people.
Alokozay is currently in custody and awaiting his initial appearance before a US magistrate judge. Assistant US Attorney Vincent Mazzurco is overseeing the case.
US Attorney Raybould said the United States has “zero tolerance for violence and threats of violence” such as those allegedly made by Alokozay. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the case demonstrated the national-security risks posed by what she described as a breakdown in vetting under the Biden administration. She said the Justice Department would continue working with federal and state partners to protect Americans.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Alokozay entered the country on 7 September 2022 under “Operation Allies Welcome,” the resettlement programme for at-risk Afghans.
A video circulating on social media appears to show Alokozay speaking live with several users, threatening to make a bomb “right here” in the United States and stating he would carry out a suicide attack against “infidels” or anyone he chose.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the scale of the national-security challenge created under Joe Biden “cannot be overstated,” adding that President Donald Trump had directed his administration to continue rooting out such threats inside the United States.
