US authorities have arrested an Afghan asylum seeker in Texas on charges of making terrorist threats, a development that further adds to a widening pattern of security concerns involving Afghan arrivals. The arrest comes at a time when recent incidents, including a deadly attack on US National Guard members and national data exposing thousands of Afghan refugees as potential risks, have strengthened the very warnings Pakistan has long issued about Afghanistan’s capacity to destabilize regional and global security.
Investigators say the suspect, identified as Mohammad Dawood Alokozai, posted a video on TikTok showing what appeared to be a homemade explosive device and threatened to target the Fort Worth area. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, Alokozai entered the country in September 2022 under the Biden administration’s Allies Welcome resettlement program.
He was arrested earlier this week by the Texas Department of Public Safety along with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The arrest came only twenty four hours before an Afghan national allegedly shot two US National Guard members in Washington, an attack that killed one of them.
Authorities confirmed that Alokozai is now being held at the Tarrant County Correctional Centre in Fort Worth.
In statements shared publicly, the Department of Homeland Security said it would not allow individuals with malicious intent to operate within the United States and revealed that all immigration applications from Afghan nationals have now been suspended indefinitely under directives from the Trump administration.
A memo from the department stated that the United States would not serve as a sanctuary for anyone aiming to harm its citizens. The ministry also shared portions of the suspect’s online activity, including a video in which Alokozai discussed bomb making and threatened suicide attacks. In the clip, he claimed he came to the United States for enjoyment and to target those he described as infidels.
A spokesperson for the White House said the situation reflects the seriousness of the security vulnerabilities created in recent years and noted that efforts are underway to eliminate threats inside the country.
Growing Concerns Echo Global Warnings About Afghan Instability
US officials have intensified scrutiny following a series of incidents involving Afghan refugees in recent weeks. Earlier national security data showed more than 5,000 Afghan arrivals identified as potential risks, reinforcing Pakistan’s longstanding position that Afghanistan’s internal disorder carries consequences far beyond its borders.
The Texas arrest also coincides with a troubling rise in violence across the United States, including the recent birthday party shooting in Northern California that left four dead and ten injured, and the attack on two US National Guard members in Washington. While these incidents involve different contexts, together they point toward an expanding atmosphere of instability that American agencies are now publicly acknowledging.
The case of Mohammad Dawood Alokozai adds another layer to a growing list of national security alarms that US officials can no longer ignore. For years, Pakistan has maintained that Afghanistan’s volatile environment and unregulated militant networks pose a danger not only to the region but also to global peace and security. The latest developments in the United States now appear to be pushing the world closer to the very concerns Pakistan has voiced consistently, raising difficult questions for policymakers in Washington and beyond.
