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Afghan man sentenced to 15 years in U.S. prison for plotting Election Day attack
Abdullah Haji Zada, a 19-year-old Afghan national living in the United States, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for plotting a Daesh-inspired attack planned for Election Day in November 2024, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday.
According to federal prosecutors, Haji Zada and his co-conspirator, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 28, received two AK-47-style rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition, fully aware the weapons would be used in an attack on behalf of Daesh. The pair was arrested in October 2024 following an undercover investigation.
Haji “Zada was welcomed into the United States … yet he chose to embrace terrorism and plot an ISIS-inspired attack on Election Day,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. He added that the sentence, along with Haji Zada’s pending deportation to Afghanistan, underscores the seriousness of the crime.
Haji Zada, who was 17 when arrested, pleaded guilty as an adult on April 17, 2025. Under the plea agreement, he accepted a judicial order for his removal from the United States following his prison term and waived the right to seek asylum or appeal his deportation. U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk imposed the maximum 15-year sentence during the hearing.
His co-conspirator, Tawhedi, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, to providing material support to Daesh and conspiring to obtain firearms for an attack. He faces up to 20 years for the material-support charge and up to 15 years for the firearms charge. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
Both men will be permanently removed from the United States after completing their sentences.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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