US deports Afghan woman in first-ever Alien Terrorist Court case over ISIS plot

The United States deported Nazira Haji Zada to Afghanistan after she admitted supporting her family's ISIS-inspired Election Day attack plot. The case was the first to be heard by the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a 1996 tribunal never previously used.

In Short

• Zada waived appeal after federal court relied partly on classified evidence
• Her son and son-in-law were accused of planning a mass attack
• Investigators said the pair bought rifles, ammunition and magazines undercover

The United States has deported 47-year-old Afghan national Nazira Haji Zada after she conceded that she was an “alien terrorist” for supporting an ISIS-inspired plot to carry out a mass shooting on Election Day in 2024, the US Department of Justice said.

The case marks the first-ever proceeding before the United States Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC), a specialised federal court created by Congress in 1996 but never previously used by any administration.

Zada, who previously lived in Fort Worth, Texas, was removed to Afghanistan after the ATRC issued a final removal order on August 20. The order was unsealed after she returned to her country of origin. She is now permanently inadmissible to the United States.

WOMAN SUPPORTED FAMILY'S TERROR PLOT

According to US authorities, Zada supported a plot involving members of her family to carry out an ISIS-inspired mass-casualty attack in the United States on or around November 5, 2024, the day of the US presidential election.

Her son Abdullah Haji Zada and son-in-law Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi were previously arrested in connection with the plot.

The US Department of Justice said Attorney General Todd Blanche certified the application seeking Zada’s removal on July 15. She appeared in court for the first time on July 30 before ATRC Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen, who later signed the removal order.

The government used classified information to establish its case while also providing Zada and her two federal public defenders with approximately half a terabyte of documents supporting the removal application.

Zada ultimately conceded that she was an alien terrorist and waived her right to appeal, allowing the removal order to become final.

FAMILY PLANNED ELECTION DAY ATTACK

Tawhedi and Abdullah were arrested on October 7, 2024, after purchasing firearms and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee for use in the planned attack, according to US authorities.

Abdullah was 17 when he was arrested but entered his guilty plea as an adult. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and agreed to be removed to Afghanistan after completing his sentence.

Tawhedi, 28, pleaded guilty in June 2025 to terrorism-related charges involving conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and receiving firearms and ammunition in furtherance of a federal crime of terrorism. He is awaiting sentencing.

Court documents said Tawhedi admitted that he conspired with at least one other person between June and October 2024 to obtain two AK-47 rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition and 10 magazines for a mass-casualty attack on or around Election Day.

Investigators said Tawhedi also communicated with an ISIS facilitator about the planned purchase of firearms and asked whether 500 rounds of ammunition would be sufficient.

FAMILY SOLD PROPERTY TO FUND PLOT

According to the criminal complaint, the family began selling property in 2024 to raise money for the planned attack. Items included furniture, computers, a mobile phone and the family’s two vehicles.

Zada also signed a contract to sell the family home, authorities said.

The family purchased one-way tickets to Kabul shortly before Election Day for several members, including Zada and other minor children. Abdullah and Tawhedi were not included in those travel arrangements.

WHAT IS THE ALIEN TERRORIST REMOVAL COURT?

The ATRC was established by Congress in 1996 to allow the US government to swiftly remove foreign nationals classified as terrorists when it can establish the case by a preponderance of the evidence.

The specialised court is staffed by federal district judges who are appointed to the ATRC by the Chief Justice of the United States. Proceedings can involve classified information when public disclosure could threaten national security.

The law also provides for paid legal counsel for foreign nationals when necessary and allows either side to appeal decisions to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The Department of Justice said Zada’s removal involved coordinated efforts by multiple federal agencies, including its National Security Division, the FBI and US Marshals Service, along with the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations and US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

US officials described the case as a landmark national security proceeding and said the government would continue using legal mechanisms available to prevent individuals who support terrorism from remaining in the country.

- Ends
With agency inputs