The Department of Justice has announced federal charges against eight individuals accused of involvement in a terror plot. Allegations include providing material support to terrorists, planning an attack on a UFC event, and conspiring to murder federal officials, including the president and vice president. Convictions could lead to life imprisonment.
The Trump administration is utilizing a specialized federal court, created three decades ago, to deport Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman accused of aiding an Islamic State-inspired terror plot in the U.S. Court records released on Wednesday reveal this initiative.
Nazira Haji Zada from Fort Worth, Texas, becomes the first person to face deportation through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, following her recent arrest. The initial hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Washington, D.C., as authorities pursue her deportation.
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. The Department’s application in this court makes clear that terrorists have no place in the United States of America,” stated Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
An FBI memo dated July 15 reveals authorities obtained information indicating Haji Zada’s support for the Islamic State. It’s alleged she had her children pledge allegiance to the group.
Haji Zada is accused of supporting a plot by her family to execute an ISIS-inspired attack in the U.S., according to the memo. Court documents identify her as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men convicted in Oklahoma for a 2024 Election Day terror plot.
Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, received a 15-year prison sentence in November and agreed to deportation upon release. Her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a former security guard at a U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty to conspiring and attempting to provide support to the Islamic State. Prosecutors indicate he tried advancing plans by ordering weapons, liquidating assets, and purchasing tickets for his family to return to Afghanistan.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court, created in 1996, has never processed a petition until this month when the DOJ sought to deport Haji Zada. This court deals with noncitizens classified as ‘alien terrorists’ under immigration law, particularly when classified information is part of the proceedings.
“Congress created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court three decades ago to remove from the United States alien terrorists who never should have been here in the first place,” remarked Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General.
Comprised of five federal judges from various districts, the court operates at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington.