//The Wire//2300Z October 9, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: HURRICANE MILTON BEGINS TO MAKE LANDFALL IN FLORIDA. TERROR ATTACK ALLEGEDLY THWARTED IN OKLAHOMA.//

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-International Events-

Europe: A man attempted to physically attack Hungarian Prime Minister Orban during a press conference yesterday. The man was arrested at the scene, having been halted by security teams before getting close to PM Orban.

-HomeFront-

USA: This afternoon the Internet Archive, a well-known digital library, was allegedly the victim of a cyberattack that resulted in the website going down. No details have been provided as of yet, however the website is inaccessible.

Oklahoma: An Afghan man was arrested for allegedly planning to conduct a terror attack on election day. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi was arrested after purchasing multiple firearms, buying one-way airline tickets for his family to return to Afghanistan, financially supporting to ISIS, having an extensive online presence supporting ISIS, and communications to another insurgent were discovered by authorities.

Florida: Most of the west coast remains under a mandatory evacuation order as preparations continue. As damage from Hurricane Helene is still a factor in Florida, great efforts have been made to clean up debris that may become a hazard in high winds. Multiple tornados have been reported throughout Florida as of this morning as the outer bands of the hurricane reach central Florida. Over 50 tornado warnings have been issued as of this afternoon.

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Analyst Comments: In Oklahoma, Tawhedi likely was on the radar of authorities for some time. Mainstream media reports that he came to the US in September of 2021…which coincides with the Kabul Airlift, meaning that he probably was evacuated from Afghanistan during that crisis, and subsequently processed as a refugee. However, it would seem that he was only arrested after he presented every single indication and warning in the book. Only then was a sting operation planned and carried out, with the goal of befriending Tawhedi at a local gun range, and eventually entrapping the would-be terrorist into buying guns from an undercover agent. As such, the methods used to stop this potential terrorist (who was not concealing his intent in any way), are a very intriguing choice by which to get an arrest. Though the means by which a conviction can be obtained in the United States are sometimes nonsensical or seemingly counterproductive, there is probably a subtle ulterior message being conveyed with this case. Tawhedi could have (as with many others) been arrested (and a conviction secured) solely for providing materiel support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Tawhedi’s own actions do not indicate that he was particularly good at concealing his behavior, with even his own plans for his family not being entirely logical. As he pledged allegiance to ISIS, him purchasing tickets for his family to return to Afghanistan was not likely to meet with success. The Taliban control Afghanistan now, and are at war with ISIS (and have been for some time, even before the United States departed the country). If his family would have returned by plane to Kabul after his attack, it’s likely that they would have been arrested and executed in short order for supporting ISIS.

Analyst: S2A1

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