DOJ removes Alien terrorist in first use of an old court

By Easton Martin

The Department of Justice has executed the first deportation in the history of the United States Alien Terrorist Removal Court, expelling an Afghan national tied to an ISIS-inspired election day mass casualty plot.

​Federal officials confirmed the removal of 47-year-old Nazira Haji Zada, a former Fort Worth, Texas resident, after she conceded in court that she is an alien terrorist. The case marks the inaugural deployment of the specialized tribunal, which Congress established in 1996 under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act to facilitate the swift deportation of foreign operatives without compromising classified national security intelligence.

​Court filings reveal that Zada served as the matriarch of a terrorist cell orchestrated by her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi. Both men previously faced federal prosecution for planning a mass shooting on the November 2024 presidential election day using AK-47 rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition purchased from undercover FBI operatives.

​To finance the terror operation and stage their escape, the family liquidated their domestic assets, selling furniture, electronics, vehicles, and their residence under a contract signed by Zada. Flight records established that Zada booked one-way travel to Kabul, Afghanistan, for herself and minor children scheduled just prior to the planned assault, leaving the two gunmen behind to execute the attack.

​Attorney General Todd Blanche certified the removal application on July 15, advancing the proceeding before ATRC Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen. The government presented classified evidentiary findings alongside approximately 500 gigabytes of corroborating documentation. Judge Ericksen signed the final removal order on August 20, which the government unsealed following Zada’s physical transfer back to Afghanistan. Under the decree, Zada waived appeal rights and remains permanently inadmissible to the United States.

​Attorney General Blanche described the operation as an overdue enforcement of statutory border and security mandates, stating that individuals who support terrorism have no right to reside on American soil. FBI Director Kash Patel affirmed that federal law enforcement will continue to leverage all statutory authorities to identify and eliminate foreign threats inside the homeland.

​The operation coordinated resources across the Justice Department’s National Security Division, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.