An Afghan man charged with lying about serving with the US military on his immigration papers has been identified as a member of a feared terrorist group.
Dilbar Gul Dilbar, 33, who was arrested in New York this month and accused of visa fraud, has now been linked to the Haqqani Network of armed Islamist fighters.
Dilbar’s alleged terrorist ties were revealed when prosecutors filed papers this week, saying his fingerprints were found in 2011 on plans for an attack in Afghanistan.
US intelligence officers apparently knew of Dilbar’s terrorist ties and fraudulent visa claims all along, and let him enter the US so they could build a case against him.
His arrest raises tough questions about America’s responsibility to provide sanctuary to Afghans who helped US forces there, and of ongoing threats of terrorists entering the country.
It comes as US President Donald Trump mounts a harsh crackdown on illegal immigration into the US, a hot button issue during the 2024 election.
Dilbar, 33, came to the US with his wife and young children last year on a special immigration visa (SIV), reserved for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters who assisted US forces and diplomats.
The dad-of-five was arrested at a home in Rochester, New York, charged with submitting false documents in 2021 to obtain the visa. He previously applied in 2016, but had been denied.
US Magistrate Judge Colleen D. Holland remanded him in custody as a potential flight risk.
He’s accused of submitting a bogus employment letter from a US-based firm in his application in 2021, in the run-up to the collapse of the Afghan government and a chaotic US withdrawal.
Dilbar’s SIV application was approved in March 2024, according to paperwork, and he applied for and was issued a green card in July.
This week, it was revealed that ‘it is not a typical visa fraud case,’ a filing by prosecutors says.
‘The defendant was ineligible for an Afghan SIV not only because he submitted fraudulent employment documentation but also because he was linked to the Haqqani Network,’ says the 11-pager.
The Pentagon has declassified details since his court hearing that link him to a terrorist plot in Afghanistan, say the papers, which were first reported on by Court Watch.
They refer to evidence uncovered at a crime scene in Afghanistan in 2011 by the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center.
‘One piece of evidence was a handwritten note. The note contained a series of letters and numbers, possibly the coordinates of a planned terrorist attack,’ says the filing.
‘The defendant’s fingerprint was on the note.’
Dilbar awaits trial on the visa fraud charge, for which he faces 10 years behind bars.
The Department of Justice has been contacted for further information about his case.
It is not clear what Haqqani network plans or attacks Dilbar may have been involved in, or at what level.
The militant group is one of the most powerful and feared groups in the Afghan insurgency, blamed for major attacks during the 20-year war.
The US mounted its war in Afghanistan to dismantle the Taliban and al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks.
The US withdrew its forces completely in 2021, leaving Afghanistan in turmoil and the Taliban back in control.