Abdullah Haji Zada, 19, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to receive firearms and ammunition for a planned Election Day attack in Oklahoma. He has agreed to be removed from the United States after serving his term. His co-defendant, 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, pleaded guilty to providing material support to the Islamic State (ISIS) and faces up to 35 years. Authorities say the men sought AK-47s and used Telegram to communicate with an ISIS-linked account.
Afghan Teen Sentenced to 15 Years for Plot to Attack Oklahoma on Election Day
Abdullah Haji Zada, 19, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to receive firearms and ammunition for a planned Election Day attack in Oklahoma. He has agreed to be removed from the United States after serving his term. His co-defendant, 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, pleaded guilty to providing material support to the Islamic State (ISIS) and faces up to 35 years. Authorities say the men sought AK-47s and used Telegram to communicate with an ISIS-linked account.
05:38 AM, 11/20/2025Security
Abdullah Haji Zada, a 19-year-old Afghan citizen and lawful permanent resident who had been living in Moore, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to receive a firearm and ammunition intended for use in a terrorist attack.
Court records state Zada admitted he knowingly received and conspired to obtain weapons and ammunition as part of a plot to carry out an attack targeting large crowds on Election Day last year. He has agreed to be removed from the United States after completing his sentence.
Co-defendant and charges
Zada's co-defendant, 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a former security guard at a U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, has pleaded guilty to conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State (ISIS). Tawhedi faces up to 35 years in prison.
Prosecutors say the two men took steps to obtain AK-47 rifles and ammunition. An FBI agent testified at a hearing last year that Tawhedi used the Telegram messaging app to communicate with an account linked to the Islamic State, swore allegiance to the group and indicated he would follow its directives.
“By hatching a violent plot against the United States on behalf of ISIS, the defendant and his co-conspirator shamefully turned their backs on the country that provided them safety and refuge,”
FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater made the remark in a statement issued after the sentencing. Zada’s attorney, Jeff Byers, declined to comment on the outcome.
The case underscores persistent concerns about online radicalization and efforts to acquire weapons for mass-casualty attacks. Sentences and removal provisions reflect both criminal penalties and immigration consequences for noncitizen defendants convicted of terrorism-related offenses.