47-year-old Afghan-origin Nazira Haji Zada became the first alien terrorist to be deported through the secret Alien Terrorist Removal Court which was established by Congress in 1996 to quickly remove suspected terrorists without revealed too much classified information in public procedings. Haji Zada was a lawful Green Card holder residing in Fort Worth, Texas. She supported a plot to commit an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024 for which her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were previously arrested and convicted.The application to remove Zada, certified by Attorney General Todd Blanche, was filed on July 15, and Zada appeared in open court for the first time on July 30. Alien Terrorist Removal Court Chief Judge Joan N Ericksen presided over that hearing and later signed the removal order. In compliance with the ATRC statute, the government used classified information to establish that Zada is an alien terrorist. Additionally, the government provided Zada and her lawyers, two federal public defenders, with approximately half a terabyte of documents supporting the government’s case, DOJ said. With her lawyers, Zada conceded that she is an alien terrorist and waived her appeal of the removal order, terminating her previous status.“This landmark case, resulting in the prompt removal of this alien terrorist to her country of origin, is a win for national security and the rule of law,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Those who support and condone terrorism should not be living in the United States, and this first-ever case before the ATRC shows how the Department will use every tool at its disposal to protect our country.”“This is a historic and vitally important step in our work to protect the U.S. homeland from terrorism,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “An individual who supported a plot by ISIS-sympathizing family members to commit an attack in America has paid the price for that. She came to our country, betrayed it, and has now lost the right to live here and enjoy our democratic freedoms. This FBI and our Justice Department partners will protect the American people from the threat of terrorism, using all means necessary.”
Who is Nazira Haji Zada ?
The Justice Department described Nazira Haji Zada as the “matriarch” of the family who plotted the attack.The government alleged she had made plans to move back to Afghanistan with other female relatives, selling the family home to raise funds for the trip, while the two men stayed behind in the United States to carry out the mass shooting.They started selling furniture, computers, a mobile phone, and the family’s two vehicles. Zada signed a contract to sell the family house. The family also purchased one-way airfare for travel to Kabul, Afghanistan shortly before Election Day 2024 for its members, including for Zada and other minor children but not Abdullah and Tawhedi. But she did not ultimately make the trip, officials said.Haji Zada’s son, Abdullah Haji Zada, was 17 years old at the time of his arrest in 2024. He pleaded guilty to a terrorism offense involving a firearm and has acknowledged that he will be deported to Afghanistan after completing his 15-year prison term. The son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 28, has pleaded guilty to terrorism charges, including conspiring to provide support to the Islamic State, and is awaiting sentencing.
