DOJ reactivates special court to deport Afghan woman with ties to plot to carry out attack last election day

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion to deport an Afghan immigrant with terrorist ties before a specialized court for terrorism-related cases that has remained inactive since its creation three decades ago.

Specifically, the authorities aim to secure the deportation of Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan citizen residing in Fort Worth, Texas accused of providing support for a foiled terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS) that was intended to be carried out on the day of the last presidential election in 2024.

To that end, the DOJ referred the case to the Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC), a special court dedicated to combating international terrorism established by Congress in 1996.

In a statement, the DOJ explained that Zada—who was arrested earlier this week—collaborated with her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, to carry out an attack on Election Day. These two have already been arrested and convicted of terrorism.

"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," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "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 ATRC was established by Congress 30 years ago to handle the deportation of individuals deemed a threat to national security, without the need to publicly disclose sensitive classified information in ordinary immigration proceedings.