DHS arrests Afghan national for alleged bomb threat in Texas

U.S. Homeland Security officials reported that an Afghan citizen was taken into custody after allegedly posting a video on social media in which he discussed building a bomb and threatened to destroy a building in Fort Worth, Texas.

According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the suspect, identified as Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, was arrested on November 25. Court documents indicate he is being held at the Tarrant County Corrections Center on state terrorism charges, alongside federal accusations of sending a threatening message across state lines.

Investigators stated that Alokozay admitted to recording the video and later deleting his TikTok account after others contacted him about the circulating clip. In a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday, prosecutors noted that Alokozay told authorities he was unconcerned about deportation or being killed, adding that he had come to the United States intending to harm individuals on the call and expressed a desire to carry out a suicide attack against Americans.

It has not yet been determined when Alokozay will appear before a federal judge.

His arrest occurred one day before two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., were reportedly shot by another Afghan national, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal. One of the victims, U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, later died from her injuries. Lakanwal now faces a first-degree murder charge.

McLaughlin stated on X that Alokozay had posted a TikTok video showing himself constructing a bomb aimed at the Fort Worth region. She added that agents from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force carried out the arrest, charging him with making terroristic threats.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a detainer for Alokozay. Information regarding his legal representation was not immediately available.

Author: Ava Mitchell