The U.S. Justice Department has invoked a specialized federal court, dormant for three decades, in an effort to deport an Afghan woman accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired terror plot. Nazira Haji Zada, of Fort Worth, Texas, is the first individual facing deportation proceedings through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court.
The court is scheduled to hold an initial hearing on Thursday in Washington, D.C., as the government seeks to remove Haji Zada from the United States. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the case demonstrates "the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day."
According to an FBI memo, authorities developed information suggesting Haji Zada supports the Islamic State and had her children pledge loyalty to the terrorist group. She is identified in court filings as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men convicted in Oklahoma for a 2024 Election Day terror plot. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and agreed to deportation after his release. Her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, pleaded guilty to conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State, having taken steps to advance attack plans, including ordering firearms and liquidating family assets.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established by Congress in 1996 but had not received a petition until the Justice Department filed its application this month. The court is designed to hear government applications for the removal of noncitizens alleged to be "alien terrorists" when the evidence involves classified information. The court is comprised of five federal judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and proceedings are currently being held at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington.
The federal charges against eight individuals involved in the alleged terror plot include providing material support to terrorists, planning to attack a UFC event, and murdering federal officials, with potential penalties reaching life imprisonment.