Afghan national charged after social media threats to build bomb, carry out suicide attack in Texas

Authorities with the Justice Department, say the clip shows Alokozay gesturing angrily and speaking Dari, a Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, while interacting with at least two other men on the call.

According to the criminal complaint, Alokozay issued threats against the other participants as well as “infidels” and Americans, and described a plan to construct an explosive device in a vehicle. Investigators allege he referenced a yellow cooking oil container that authorities say has been favored by the Taliban in Afghanistan for building improvised explosive devices. The complaint also alleges Alokozay expressed support for the Taliban, claimed he came to the United States to kill people on the call, and said he was not afraid of deportation or death.

Federal officials credited public reporting and a rapid law enforcement response for the arrest. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, “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. 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.”

US Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas said his office has “zero tolerance” for threats of violence and praised partner agencies for quickly identifying and apprehending the suspect.

FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said the Joint Terrorism Task Force took action after receiving public reports of the video, urging people to report suspicious activity. HSI Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard warned that online threats “will not be dismissed or taken lightly.”

Alokozay is in custody pending an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

The Department of Homeland Security circulated a thread on X highlighting Afghan nationals allegedly tied to US security or criminal concerns, arguing that “tens of thousands of unvetted Afghan aliens” entered during the Biden administration and that the cases shared were “just a few of the criminals” who “rewarded American generosity with violence.”

Among the cases DHS amplified was Bahrullah Noori, an Afghan evacuee arrested at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, and federally charged in 2021 with attempting to engage in a sexual act with a minor using force and three additional counts of engaging in a sexual act with a minor, including an allegation of force. Prosecutors alleged the victims were under 16.

DHS also pointed to Mohammad Haroon Imaad, another Afghan evacuee charged in 2021 with assaulting his spouse by strangling/suffocating; court filings said the victim reported he threatened to send her back to Afghanistan “where the Taliban could deal with her.”

Another highlighted example was Jamal Wali, identified by Fairfax County Police as the suspect who shot and wounded two Fairfax County police officers during a traffic stop in April 2025 before being killed by return fire.

DHS’s post comes as Afghan resettlement has moved to the center of the immigration debate following last week’s Washington, DC attack on two National Guard members by Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, whom DHS says entered via Operation Allies Welcome.