Justice Dept files first case in terrorist removal court against Texas woman accused of aiding ISIS plot

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed the first case in the history of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, seeking to deport a Texas woman accused of supporting an ISIS-inspired plot to carry out a mass-casualty attack on Election Day 2024.

Federal prosecutors allege that Nazira Haji Zada, 47, of Fort Worth, Texas, helped facilitate a planned attack by her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedii, on behalf of the Islamic State. The Justice Department filed the removal application on July 15, and Zada was arrested earlier this week. She appeared on Thursday before Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in Washington.

Created by Congress in 1996, the specialized court was designed to handle removal proceedings against non-U.S. citizens accused of terrorism while allowing the government to protect classified national security information. The court had never received a case before the Justice Department’s filing against Zada.

“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,” U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated. “The Department’s application in this court makes clear that terrorists have no place in the United States of America.”

The alleged plot was disrupted on Oct. 7, 2024, when Tawhedi and Abdullah Haji Zada were arrested after purchasing firearms and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee, according to court records.

Abdullah Haji Zada, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, later pleaded guilty as an adult and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Under his plea agreement, he will be removed to Afghanistan after completing his sentence and agreed to waive most rights to appeal his deportation.

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

According to court documents, Tawhedi admitted that he and at least one co-conspirator planned to carry out an attack using two AK-47-style rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition and 10 magazines. Prosecutors also allege the family sold personal belongings, including vehicles and household items, to help fund the operation and purchased one-way plane tickets for Zada to travel to Afghanistan with the family’s children shortly before the planned attack.

The Justice Department said the removal case was brought through a coordinated effort involving its National Security Division, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security.

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