Federal authorities report that a man from Afghanistan in Texas issued a suicide bomb threat on social media.

Federal authorities have formally charged a 30-year-old Afghan national residing in Fort Worth, Texas, for allegedly threatening a suicide bombing through social media posts, officials reported on December 2.

Mohammad Dawood Alokozay is accused of transmitting a threatening communication across state lines after posting a video of a recorded call on platforms including Facebook, TikTok, and X on November 23. In the footage, Alokozay purportedly indicated he was constructing an explosive device intended for the Fort Worth area, according to Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Alokozay was apprehended on November 25, a day prior to an attack near the White House in Washington, D.C., where two West Virginia National Guard members were shot, one fatally. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, also an Afghan national who entered the U.S. under a Biden-era program for those fleeing the Taliban, has been charged in that incident.

R. Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge of the FBIs Dallas Field Office, noted that the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force acted on public reports to arrest Alokozay before any attack could occur. Charging documents indicate that the video shows Alokozay speaking in Dari with at least two other males, using animated gestures. The documents allege that he threatened to carry out a suicide bombing targeting the men in the video as well as infidels and Americans, referencing a yellow cooking oil container similar to those used by the Taliban for improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan.

The complaint also states that Alokozay expressed no fear of deportation or death, described the Taliban as dear to him, and claimed he came to the United States with the intent to harm the men on the call.

We have zero tolerance for threats against American citizens, said Ryan Raybould, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Those who endanger public safety will be prosecuted swiftly.

Alokozay remains in custody awaiting a U.S. magistrate judge appearance. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. Travis Pickard, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations, emphasized, We will use all resources to ensure these individuals are arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The investigation was carried out by the FBIs Dallas Field Office, the Fort Worth Resident Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security, with support from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Fort Worth Police Department.

Author: Sophia Brooks