An Afghan citizen Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, 30, who was arrested in Texas after posting a violent message on the social media, has been federally charged for threatening to conduct a suicide attack and kill Americans.
The Department of Justice Tuesday said Alokozay lived in Fort Worth, Texas and he has been federally charged for “threatening to build a bomb, conduct a suicide attack, and kill Americans and others, in a video shared on TikTok, X, and Facebook.”
“This Afghan national came into America during the Biden administration and as alleged, explicitly stated that he came here in order to kill American citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“The public safety threat created by the Biden administration’s vetting breakdown cannot be overstated – the Department of Justice will continue working with our federal and state partners to protect the American people from the prior administration’s dangerous incompetence,” the statement said.
Alokozay is charged with transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce related to threats he made on a Nov. 23 video call, which was recorded and posted to multiple social media accounts, including TikTok, X, and Facebook.
According to the Justice Department, the complaint says that the video shows Alokozay angrily gesturing and speaking Dari, a language commonly spoken in Afghanistan, while interacting with at least two other males on a video call.
As alleged, Alokozay threatened to conduct a suicide attack on the other participants on the call, as well as “infidels” and Americans.
He claimed he would build a bomb in his vehicle and talked about a particular yellow cooking oil container favored by the Taliban in building improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan.
Afghan national arrested in Texas over bomb threat on TikTok
Alozokay stated the Taliban were dear to him and that he came to the United States to kill those on the call.
He also claimed he wanted to conduct a suicide attack on Americans. According to the complaint, Alokozay stated he was not afraid of deportation or getting killed.
Currently, Alokozay is in custody pending an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge and further court proceedings. If convicted, Alokozay faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
“We have zero tolerance for violence and threats of violence to kill American citizens and others like those allegedly made by this individual,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
