Terror suspect Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was never vetted or approved by the State Department for special immigrant (SIV) status
Questions remain for government agencies on Afghan terror suspect
Government agencies are pointing fingers over vetting holes and how an Afghan national suspected of a terror plot got into the U.S.
The Biden-Harris administration now admits that an Afghan national accused of plotting an Election Day terror attack did not undergo certain vetting they previously claimed he passed.
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was never vetted or approved by the State Department for special immigrant (SIV) status, though officials from other agencies had claimed he cleared that stringent process.
Additionally, sources familiar with the investigation tell Fox News that Tawhedi was not well known to the U.S. government when the administration facilitated his departure to the states, despite his security role with the CIA in Afghanistan. Fox News has learned Tawhedi was employed as a local guard outside the base perimeter and he would not have been among the most thoroughly vetted U.S. partners.
The news upends claims officials made last week that Tawhedi was vetted three times: first to work for the CIA in Afghanistan, then to come to the U.S. on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) humanitarian parole during the withdrawal and a third time when he was approved for special immigrant (SIV) status after arriving in the U.S.
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A photo of Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi and his children from July where he allegedly described to his daughter and another child "the rewards a martyr receives in the afterlife." (Department of Justice)
Officials now acknowledge Tawhedi was never vetted or approved for special immigrant (SIV) status, a thorough State Department process which can take years to complete. The State Department has maintained all along it had no role in Tawhedi’s refugee status, despite what a DHS case agent told investigators – leading to its inaccurate mention in the DOJ criminal complaint.
Last week, Biden administration officials defended the error, explaining that Tawhedi first entered the country on DHS humanitarian parole – which had its own vetting process – but later applied for SIV status, subjecting him to another round of vetting which he also cleared. Those same officials now admit that claim was wrong, and Tawhedi was never vetted or approved for SIV.
However, officials now say Tawhedi was subjected to "recurrent" vetting as part of his DHS humanitarian parole under Operation Allies Welcome – but this raises new questions.
DHS has repeatedly stated that no red flags were identified at any point in Tawhedi’s vetting, but three sources forcefully disputed DHS’ characterization of the vetting process as "thorough."
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Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi is seen making the "Tawhid" gesture in a photo taken. (Department of Justice)
According to a 2022 DHS Inspector General Report, DHS did not provide data or evidence to support its claim that "recurrent vetting processes were established for all paroled Afghan evacuees for the duration of their parole period." The report also stated that DHS admitted or paroled evacuees who were not fully vetted into the United States, in many cases because information used to vet evacuees through U.S. Government databases, such as name, date of birth, identification number, and travel document data, was inaccurate, incomplete, or missing.
The 2022 audit by the DHS Office of the Inspector General revealed 417 records with a first name unknown, 242 records with a last name unknown and 11,110 records with a birthdate recorded as "January 1." Additionally, 36,400 travel records listed "facilitation document" as the document type, and 7,800 records had invalid or missing document numbers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not maintain a list of individuals paroled or admitted into the country without proper identification.
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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, during a briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Recurrent vetting was initiated by CBP for Operation Allies Welcome parolees prior to their arrival in the United States. CBP shared biographical information collected during the initial screening and vetting process with the National Vetting Center (NVC) and designated Vetting Support Agencies (VSAs) – external to DHS – for recurrent vetting against classified information in NVC and VSA data holdings.
DHS stated in the 2024 final report that "the National Vetting Center recurrent vetting is ongoing and active for all OAW parolees", but the agency has also told Fox News, "Vetting is a point-in-time check that evaluates information available to the U.S. Government at that time."
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DHS says "If individuals who have entered the country are later found to be associated with information indicating a potential national security or public safety concern, DHS and our federal partners investigate and take appropriate action in keeping with the mission of protecting the homeland."
Prosecutors say Tawhedi obtained firearms and ammunition to conduct a violent attack on U.S. soil, as well as taking a number of steps to prepare for the alleged plot. He is charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and receiving a firearm to be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism.
Investigators are still working to determine whether Tawhedi was radicalized before or after coming to the U.S.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casioano and David Spunt contributed to this report.
Jacqui Heinrich currently serves as a Senior White House correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). She joined the network in September 2018 and is based out of Washington D.C.
