Afghan woman removed from US on orders of 'terror court'
Nazira Haji Zada, 47, was removed from the United States after the Alien Terrorist Removal Court ruled in its first-ever case linked to an ISIS plot
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Afghan woman accused of aiding an Islamic State plot against US voters deported.
Reuters/File
An Afghan woman accused of supporting an Islamic State plot to attack American election day voters has been removed from the United States, the Department of Justice said.
Nazira Haji Zada, 47, a Fort Worth, Texas resident, left the country on August 25 under the first-ever ruling by the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in Washington.
What is the Alien Terrorist Removal Court?
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court is a federal panel that Congress created 30 years ago, though it had never been used until this case.
It allows prosecutors to present classified evidence that public disclosure could otherwise endanger national security, keeping sensitive material out of open court.
Who is Nazira Haji Zada?
Zada, 47, is an Afghan national who lived in Fort Worth, Texas, after arriving in the United States in 2018. The Department of Justice said she conceded that she is an alien terrorist and waived her right to appeal the removal order.
That decision let her case, the first ever heard by the ATRC, move quickly to a conclusion.
What did the Attorney General say?
Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case a milestone for national security. He described the prompt removal of an alien terrorist to her country of origin as "a win for national security and the rule of law."
Blanche added that the first case before the ATRC shows the department will use every tool at its disposal to protect the country.
What was the plot linked to Zada's son?
Zada's son, Abdullah Haji Zada, pleaded guilty alongside co-conspirator Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi to plotting an attack on US election day in 2024 on behalf of the Islamic State.
He was 17 at the time of his arrest and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2025, while Tawhedi still awaits sentencing. Court documents show the pair bought two AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI employee to carry out what prosecutors called a mass-casualty attack.
The Department of Justice announced Zada's removal on September 11, the 25th anniversary of the Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington.
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