The U.S. Justice Department released the information below:
In the first-ever case before the United
States Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC), Nazira Haji Zada, 47, an Afghan
national previously residing in Fort Worth, Texas, was removed from the United
States after conceding that she is an alien terrorist. As the matriarch in her
family, 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 ATRC
issued an order of removal on Aug. 20 that was unsealed earlier today following
her return to her country of origin. This was the first case ever brought
before the ATRC, which Congress established decades ago, and which no previous
administration had used. Zada is now permanently inadmissible to the United
States.
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. ATRC 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. With her lawyers, Zada conceded that she is an alien
terrorist and waived 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.”
“From
the moment President Trump took office, he made clear that his Administration
would put the safety and security of the American people first,” said Secretary
Markwayne Mullin of the Department of Homeland Security. “The President’s direction to use
the Alien Terrorist Removal Court to expel Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan national
who plotted with members of her family to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack on
American soil, delivers on that promise. Thanks to the President’s leadership
and the coordinated efforts the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and
State, Nazira Haji Zada’s final order of removal is now FINAL. Those who plot
acts of terrorism against the United States have no place in our country. We
will find them, and we will use every lawful tool available to remove them.”
“Zada
supported her sons’ terrorist plot to attack the United States while she
enjoyed the privilege of residing here as a resident alien,” said Assistant
Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “She abused our
Nation’s hospitality and represented a clear threat to our national security.
The United States is a safer place now that her sons are in custody and she has
been deported.”
“Those
who support terrorism against the American people will face the consequences,”
said State Department Spokesman Tommy Pigott. “We will secure our borders, and
we will use every tool to stop those who intend us harm from entering or
remaining at-large in our country. Under the leadership of President Trump, the
State Department, alongside the Departments of Justice and Homeland
Security, will always work tirelessly to ensure the safety
of our people and the security of our nation.”
Tawhedi
and Abdullah Haji Zada were arrested on Oct. 7, 2024, after
purchasing firearms and ammunition to be used in an Election Day terrorist
attack from an undercover FBI employee. Nazira’s son Abdullah, who was 17
at the time of his arrest, entered his guilty plea as an adult and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. As part
of the plea agreement, Abdullah stipulated to the entry of a judicial order of
removal from the United States to Afghanistan following his term of
incarceration. Abdullah acknowledged that the order of removal would terminate
his lawful permanent resident status, and waived his right to appeal the
conviction except in limited circumstances or seek any form of appeal or relief
from his removal and deportation, including but not limited to, seeking asylum.
Tawhedi, 28, pled guilty to two terrorism-related
offenses: conspiring and attempting to provide material support and resources
to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist
organization, and receiving, attempting to receive, and conspiring to receive
firearms and ammunition in furtherance of a federal crime of terrorism on June
13, 2025, and is awaiting sentencing.
According
to court documents, Tawhedi admitted that between June 2024 and October 2024,
he conspired with at least one other individual to purchase two AK-47 rifles,
500 rounds of ammunition, and 10 magazines, with the intent to carry out a
mass-casualty attack on or around Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, on behalf of
ISIS. According to a criminal complaint affidavit filed in the case,
Tawhedi communicated with an ISIS facilitator about his plan to purchase
firearms for use in the terror plot, including asking the individual whether
500 rounds of ammunition would be sufficient.
According
to the criminal complaint, to raise funds for their attack, in 2024, the family
started selling off their property, including 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.
The
ATRC is a specialized federal court, which Congress established in 1996. The
court has jurisdiction to swiftly remove alien terrorists from the United
States when the government establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that
an alien is a terrorist. See Title 8 of
the United States Code, Sections 1227(a)(4)(B), 1531(1), and 1534(g). It is run
and staffed by U.S. federal district court judges confirmed to the judiciary
pursuant to Article III of the Constitution and then appointed to the ATRC by
the Chief Justice of the United States. See
Title 8 of the United States Code, Sections 1531 to 1537.
The
court allows the government to use classified information where disclosing that
information to the public would pose risks to national security. The statutory
provisions that establish the court provide paid counsel to the aliens if
necessary and also permit either party to appeal to the United States Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
This
removal proceeding reflects the coordinated efforts of multiple federal
agencies, including the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the
FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the Department of Homeland
Security’s Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services.
Acting
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hayden O’Byrne of the National Security
Division led the litigation with assistance from Deputy Chief Larry Schneider
and Trial Attorneys Anna Donnell, Garrett Coyle and Evan Schultz.
For more information on the ATRC and to view court documents visit: www.atrc.uscourts.gov/. The Department of Justice previously announced the arrest here: www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-files-first-case-us-alien-terrorist-removal-court-deport-afghan-alien-who
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