The Justice Department has opened the first-ever case in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court seeking to remove a Fort Worth resident accused of aiding an ISIS-inspired Election Day mass shooting plot.
The Department of Justice has filed an unprecedented application in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court to remove Nazira Haji Zada, 47, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas. Authorities say she is the matriarch of an Afghan family tied to a 2024 plot aimed at American voters. Her son and son-in-law were previously arrested and convicted in connection with the plan. This step marks the first time the ATRC has been invoked in a removal proceeding of this kind.
The application to remove Nazira Haji Zada was filed on July 15. She was arrested earlier this week and made an appearance before Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors allege she played a supporting role in a plot inspired by ISIS to carry out a mass-casualty attack on Election Day 2024. Those allegations form the basis for the ATRC filing.
Federal officials say Nazira’s son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were arrested for purchasing firearms and ammunition for the planned attack. Abdullah, who was 17 at the time of his arrest on Oct. 7, 2024, pleaded guilty as an adult and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. As part of his plea, he agreed to a judicial order of removal to Afghanistan after completing his sentence and waived most appeals and relief claims relating to removal.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, “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.” He added, “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.”
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the significance of moving to remove an individual on these grounds, saying, “This is a historic step asking this court for the first time to remove an individual from the United States who supported a plot by ISIS-sympathizing family members to commit an act of terrorism in America.” He continued, “No one should be allowed to come into our country and then betray it. The FBI and our Justice Department partners will not hesitate to use all available resources to protect the American people.”
Tawhedi, 28, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, to two terrorism-related counts: conspiring and attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, and receiving and conspiring to receive firearms and ammunition in furtherance of a federal terrorism offense. Court papers say between June and October 2024, Tawhedi and at least one other person conspired to acquire two AK-47 rifles, roughly 500 rounds of ammunition, and 10 magazines to carry out a mass-casualty attack on or near Nov. 5, 2024.
According to the criminal complaint, the family attempted to raise funds for the attack by selling off personal property in 2024, including furniture, electronics, a mobile phone, and their two vehicles. Nazira reportedly signed a contract to sell the family home and the family purchased one-way airfare for Nazira to take some children to Kabul, Afghanistan shortly before the planned attack. Investigators say Abdullah and Tawhedi were not included in that travel plan.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg put the ATRC’s role in context, saying, “The ATRC embodies the recognition that the government should not have to choose between allowing a dangerous alien to remain in the United States and disclosing sensitive classified information in a traditional removal proceeding.” He added, “We will use all the tools at our disposal, including this court, to remove foreign nationals who betray our values and exploit our goodwill by supporting ISIS and terrorist plots.”
The ATRC was created by Congress in 1996 as a specialized forum to remove alien terrorists where classified information may be needed to prove the case. The court operates under provisions of Title 8 of the United States Code and is staffed by Article III judges designated to hear these matters. Its procedures allow the government to present classified material without public disclosure while still providing certain defenses and counsel to the respondent.
Multiple federal agencies collaborated on the removal proceeding, including the DOJ National Security Division, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service, alongside Department of Homeland Security components such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hayden O’Byrne is leading the litigation, assisted by Deputy Chief Larry Schneider and Trial Attorneys Anna Donnell and Evan Schultz.
