The Department of Justice has removed an Afghan national in a case marking the first-ever use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court.
Nazira Haji Zada sought to commit an ISIS-inspired attack on Election Day in 2024. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were previously arrested and convicted in the case. The application for Zada’s removal was first filed in July.
Tawhedi and Abdullah Haji Zada were arrested in October 2024 after purchasing firearms and ammunition. Abdullah was sentenced to 15 years in prison and will be removed from the country following his sentence. Tawhedi pled guilty to two terrorism-related offenses. According to court records, he communicated with an ISIS facilitator about the plot, while Zada signed a contract to sell their home to raise funds for the attack.
“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,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “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.”
“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 of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin. “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 of 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.”
