US activates dormant 30-year-old terror court to deport Afghan woman over election day plot

The United States Department of Justice activated the secretive Alien Terrorist Removal Court on Thursday to hold its first-ever hearing since Congress created the judicial body 30 years ago.

The historic proceeding targets Nazira Haji Zada, a legal permanent resident from Texas with no prior criminal record who is accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired plot to carry out a mass shooting on US election day in 2024.

What is the Alien Terrorist Removal Court?

Congress established the specialized tribunal in 1996 to review government applications for deporting non-citizens suspected of terrorism without exposing sensitive national security sources. Despite its existence for three decades, the judicial body had never received an official application or convened a hearing until federal prosecutors brought this case.

Legal experts view the proceeding as a major test of the court's unique statutory authority. Under the court's rules, federal prosecutors can present classified evidence in secret, preventing the defense from examining or challenging the specific intelligence collection methods used by federal law enforcement.

"Nazira worked with Tawhedi to radicalize the family and to conceal their pro-ISIS teaching and planned family relocation to ISIS-controlled territory from her unsuspecting husband."
— FBI Unclassified Document

What are the terrorism allegations against Nazira Haji Zada?

Unclassified FBI records allege that Nazira Haji Zada formally pledged loyalty to ISIS and actively facilitated a plot orchestrated by her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and co-conspirator Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi.

Federal investigators state that she helped radicalize her family while hiding plans to relocate to ISIS-controlled territory in Afghanistan.

Her son was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in 2025 after federal agents disrupted the election day plot. Court records show that Abdullah Haji Zada and Tawhedi attempted to acquire two AK-47 assault rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition to execute a mass-casualty attack on voters.

Federal prosecutors argue that despite her lack of a prior criminal record, her covert facilitation of the terror cell justifies her removal under the 1996 statute.