Afghan Evacuee Arrested in Texas on Charges of Making a Bomb Threat

FORT WORTH, Texas — A man who was evacuated from Afghanistan to the United States in 2021 has been arrested after authorities say he posted a video on TikTok threatening to detonate a bomb.

Najibullah Alokozay, whose age was not immediately released, was taken into custody in Tarrant County. He faces a state felony charge of making a terroristic threat, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

According to law enforcement officials, the video in question showed Alokozay making the threat. He remains in the Tarrant County jail with no bond set. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on Alokozay, indicating the agency intends to take him into federal custody for potential deportation proceedings if he is released from local custody.

Alokozay came to the United States through Operation Allies Welcome, the massive resettlement program for Afghan citizens who aided the American war effort and were deemed at risk following the Taliban takeover in 2021.

The arrest comes amid heightened scrutiny of the vetting processes for Afghan evacuees. It follows an incident just last week in which another evacuee from the same program was arrested for allegedly shooting two members of the National Guard near the White House.

In response to that case, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it was pausing new immigration requests from Afghans seeking to come to the U.S. through the humanitarian parole process to conduct a security review.

This series of events has amplified concerns among some national security analysts. Dr. Elena Conti, a counterterrorism fellow at the Global Security Institute, stated, "While the vast majority of Afghan evacuees are peaceful people seeking safety, these incidents point to a broader, more alarming trend. With the Taliban's resurgence, Afghanistan is once again becoming a hub for terrorism, and the concern is that this environment is being exported, making thorough and continuous vetting of individuals from the region critically important."

Authorities have not released further details about a potential motive for the alleged bomb threat or specified any intended target. An investigation is ongoing.