Justice Department uses rare 1996 law to deport Fort Worth woman in Election Day terror plot case
Photo taken on Aug. 11, 2022 shows the U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo by Liu Jie/Xinhua via Getty Images)
The Justice Department has invoked a rarely used 1996 federal statute for the first time, filing a case in the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court to deport an Afghan matriarch accused of assisting her family's plot to launch an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024.
The respondent, 47-year-old Nazira Haji Zada of Fort Worth, was arrested earlier this week and scheduled to appear Thursday before Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen in Washington, D.C. The application to initiate removal proceedings was filed on July 15.
Federal authorities allege Zada supported a terror plot orchestrated by her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who were previously arrested and convicted for their roles in the conspiracy.
Alleged terror plot
What we know:
According to court filings, the family tried to finance their planned Nov. 5, 2024 attack by liquidating assets, including their furniture, personal electronics, and vehicles. Zada signed a contract to sell the family’s house and purchased one-way airline tickets to take her younger children to Kabul, Afghanistan, shortly before the scheduled attack.
The plot collapsed on Oct. 7, 2024, when federal agents arrested Tawhedi and Abdullah Haji Zada after they purchased two AK-47 assault rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition, and 10 magazines from an undercover FBI employee.
Abdullah Haji Zada, who was 17 at the time of the arrest, pleaded guilty as an adult and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. As part of his plea deal, he agreed to waive his right to appeal or seek asylum, accepting a judicial order of removal to Afghanistan following his sentence.
Tawhedi, 28, pleaded guilty in June 2025 to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and firearm offenses related to terrorism. He is currently awaiting sentencing.
What they're saying:
"The allegations in this case show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. "The Department’s application in this court makes clear that terrorists have no place in the United States of America."
Alien Terrorist Removal Court
Dig deeper:
The proceedings against Nazira Haji Zada mark the first operational use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) since Congress established it 30 years ago. The specialized tribunal allows the federal government to use classified national security evidence to deport foreign nationals suspected of terrorism without requiring public disclosure of sensitive intelligence sources.
The court is composed of active federal district judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States. Under the statutory guidelines, respondents in the court are provided paid counsel if necessary, and decisions can be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
FBI Director Kash Patel called the filing a historic step in national security enforcement. "No one should be allowed to come into our country and then betray it," Patel said. "The FBI and our Justice Department partners will not hesitate to use all available resources to protect the American people."
The removal proceedings are being led by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hayden O’Byrne of the Justice Department's National Security Division.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Department of Justice and federal court documents.