Arrest of Afghan in France linked to US terror plot

The suspect was allegedly planning an Islamic State-inspired attack on a sporting event or shopping mall

French authorities have detained a 22-year-old Afghan national suspected of planning a terrorist attack at a public venue, AFP reported on Saturday, citing the country’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT). Officials believe the case is linked to a US election day plot uncovered earlier in the week.

French prosecutors claimed the suspect is a supporter of Islamic State (formerly IS or ISIS) ideology who had been planning to carry out a “violent action” at a football stadium or a shopping center in France.

The man was detained early on Tuesday in the southwestern French region of Occitanie, along with two other suspects, all three of Afghan descent. They were brought to Paris for questioning, but two of them have since been released.

The detainee, who is said to come from a Tajik community in Afghanistan and has been living in France for around three years, had reportedly been discussing his plan on Telegram. His name has not been disclosed.

PNAT claims to have found evidence that suggested the detainee had become radicalized and adhered to “the ideology of the Islamic State.” It said the man has been charged with terrorist criminal association and currently remains in provisional detention.

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The agency told AFP that the case has “links” with the arrest last Monday of an Afghan migrant in the US. The suspect in that case is 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who has been residing in the US since 2021 and is awaiting adjudication of his immigration proceedings.

According to US prosecutors, Tawhedi and unnamed co-conspirators, all allegedly followers of Islamic State, had taken steps to carry out a terrorist attack in the country on election day (November 5). Investigators found evidence that Tawhedi often viewed Islamist propaganda and contributed about $540 in cryptocurrency to an unnamed charity in Syria that allegedly funnels money to the Islamic State. He was also reportedly in contact with a person on Telegram identified by the FBI as an Islamic State recruiter.

According to a source close to the French case, US authorities shared information on the Tawhedi probe with the French authorities, which led to the arrests in Occitanie. No other details on the suspected French terror plot or the links between the US and French cases have been made public.

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The US Justice Department on Tuesday announced charges against Tawhedi, accusing him of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State and of intending to commit an act of terrorism.