Afghan national accused of making bomb threat on TikTok video in Texas, say federal prosecutors

A man in Texas has been federally charged after posting a video online in which he threatened to construct a bomb, carry out a suicide attack, and harm Americans. Authorities said the video appeared on TikTok and other social media platforms.

The accused, Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, an Afghan national, was formally charged in federal court on Saturday. He has not yet entered a plea, and records do not indicate whether he has legal representation.

The Texas Department of Public Safety notified the FBI on November 25 about a video circulating on several social media accounts. In the footage, a man claiming to reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth area threatened to build a bomb in his vehicle and harm others on the video call. The man also expressed support for the Taliban, according to FBI Special Agent Justin Killians court statement.

Facial recognition technology helped the FBI confirm Alokozay as the individual in the video, leading to his arrest later that same day. Killian noted that Alokozay admitted to making the threats and removed TikTok from his phone after being contacted by viewers of the video.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated that Alokozay entered the U.S. during the Biden administration and allegedly intended to target American citizens. She emphasized that the Department of Justice will continue efforts to safeguard public safety.

Approximately 76,000 Afghans who assisted U.S. forces were relocated to the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Alokozay was first arrested on a state-level charge of making a terroristic threat.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin announced the arrest on social media, coinciding with the Trump administrations suspension of asylum decisions and Afghan visa issuance. These measures followed a separate incident in which two National Guard members were shot near the White House. The alleged shooter, identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had previously worked with the CIA in Afghanistan and received asylum under the Biden administration.

Authorities confirmed that there is no reported connection between Alokozays case and the Washington shooting.

Author: Riley Thompson