A long-dormant federal court is considering a bid by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to remove an Afghan woman residing in Texas who is accused of links to an alleged terror plot involving her son and son-in-law.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court is scheduled to hold a hearing on Thursday in Washington for the government’s petition to deport Nazira Haji Zada, of Fort Worth, Texas. She was arrested earlier this week.
An FBI memo dated July 15 states that Nazira “is the subject of an FBI national security investigation and is being investigated for crimes related to international terrorism.”
The FBI said it “developed information” that Nazira is a supporter of the ISIS terrorist group, has formally pledged loyalty to ISIS, and supported a plot by relatives to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack in the United States.
The memo says agents became aware of Nazira in August 2024 through counterterrorism investigations into her son Abdullah Haji Zada and son-in-law Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi.
Those investigations uncovered that the two men “conspired to relocate their female and juvenile male family members, including NAZIRA, to ISIS controlled territory in Afghanistan, while they would remain in the U.S. to conduct an attack on behalf of ISIS.”
The memo notes that underlying details remain classified to protect sources and methods.
“Disclosure would enable terrorists and terrorist organizations to avoid preventative or detection measures,” the FBI said.
Weapons Purchase Foiled
On Oct. 7, 2024, Abdullah Haji Zada and Tawhedi were arrested by the FBI as they tried to purchase firearms and ammunition from an undercover employee for use in the planned attack, according to the FBI.
Zada, a native and citizen of Afghanistan who held lawful permanent resident status, was sentenced on Nov. 19, 2025, to 15 years in federal prison for “knowingly receiving, attempting to receive, and conspiring to receive a firearm and ammunition to be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism.”
According to court documents, Zada and Tawhedi “received two AK-47-style rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition, aware that the firearms and ammunition would be used to conduct a terrorist attack on Election Day in November 2024, on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization,” the DOJ said at the time.
Tawhedi previously worked as a security guard for a U.S. military installation in Afghanistan. He pleaded guilty to conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, and prosecutors have said he took steps to advance his attack plans by ordering AK-47 rifles, liquidating his family’s assets, and buying one-way tickets for his wife and child to travel home to Afghanistan.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established in 1996 but had never received a petition until this month, when the DOJ filed an application seeking Nazira’s removal. Documents in support of that application were unsealed Wednesday night ahead of the July 30 hearing.
The court comprises five federal judges from different districts across the country who are appointed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, with all proceedings, at least for now, taking place at the federal courthouse in Washington.
“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,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
“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.”
No attorney was listed in public court records as representing Nazira Haji Zada as of Thursday.
The Epoch Times reached out to Federal Public Defenders Jeffrey Byers and Kiefer Rose, who represented her son Abdullah Haji Zada in his criminal case, seeking comment on the government’s allegations and asking whether they represent Zada or could provide contact information for her counsel. The Epoch Times did not receive a response by publication time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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