FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) A Texas man, identified as Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, has been charged with making threats online after a video surfaced showing him making alarming threats to build a bomb, conduct a suicide attack, and kill Americans. The disturbing content was shared on TikTok and other social media platforms, which prompted authorities to take action.
The charge against Alokozay, an Afghan national, was filed in federal court on Saturday. As of now, he has not entered a plea, and there is no record indicating whether he has retained an attorney. The federal public defender's office has yet to respond to inquiries made by The Associated Press regarding his representation.
On November 25, 2023, the Texas Department of Public Safety notified the FBI about the threatening video that had been circulated by multiple social media accounts. The footage showed a video call where Alokozay could be seen claiming to reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He threatened to build a bomb in his vehicle and harm the individuals on the call. In the video, he expressed his admiration for the Taliban, as stated by FBI special agent Justin Killian in court documents.
Utilizing facial recognition technology, the FBI was able to identify Alokozay as the individual in the video, leading to his arrest on the same day. According to Agent Killian, Alokozay admitted to making the threatening statements and reportedly deleted the TikTok application from his phone after being contacted by acquaintances who informed him they had seen the video online.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi expressed grave concerns over Alokozay's actions, attributing his entry into the United States to alleged security lapses during the Biden administration. In a press release, she stated, “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.” She emphasized the significant threat to public safety posed by what she termed as a vetting breakdown and reassured the public of the Department of Justice's commitment to collaborate with law enforcement to safeguard American citizens.
Approximately 76,000 Afghans who assisted U.S. operations were granted relocation to the United States as the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, under a program known as Operation Allies Welcome. Alokozay was initially arrested on state charges for making a terroristic threat prior to the federal charges being filed.
In a broader context, the federal arrests and actions coincided with heightened concerns regarding Afghan nationals. On the same day as Alokozay's arrest, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, announced the arrest through the social media platform X. This announcement followed recent policy changes by the Trump administration, which halted all asylum applications and visa issuances for individuals traveling on Afghan passports after a shooting incident involving two National Guard members in Washington. The suspected shooter, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national with connections to the CIA during the Afghanistan War, had applied for asylum under the Biden administration and was granted it this year under the Trump administration.
Neither McLaughlin nor U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, indicated any known connection between the cases of Alokozay and Lakanwal, but the simultaneous events have drawn considerable attention and scrutiny regarding national security implications considering the resettlement of Afghan nationals.
