A First in a Special Court
Nazira Haji Zada from Fort Worth is set to appear before a federal judge in Washington, DC, as prosecutors seek her removal under the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. The court, established in 1996, is used to deport noncitizens based on classified evidence they cannot see or challenge. The hearing, which was open to the public, centered on the 47-year-old lawful permanent resident accused of supporting Islamic State and helping conceal a failed Election Day 2024 mass shooting plot. Established by Congress in 1996, the court went unused until Justice Department officials sought Haji Zada's removal this month. The FBI arrested her at her Fort Worth home on Tuesday. Her scheduled hearing is set for Thursday, July 30, 2026. The Justice Department filed its application for her removal on July 15, 2026.
Family Ties to Alleged Plot
Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges after obtaining weapons from an undercover FBI agent. Abdullah, who was 17 when arrested, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and will be deported after serving his time. Tawhedi admitted to supporting Daesh in 2025. An FBI report says Zada worked with him to radicalize the family and planned to move them to ISIS-controlled areas while hiding this from her husband. In a short unclassified summary of the case, the Justice Department alleged that Haji Zada had indoctrinated her children 'with ISIS ideology' and had concealed the radicalization of her family and a planned move to ISIS territory from her husband. According to court records cited by the Justice Department, Tawhedi and Abdullah Haji Zada were arrested on Oct. 7, 2024, after purchasing firearms and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee. Tawhedi, 28, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, to two terrorism-related offenses involving conspiring and attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as firearms-related offenses in furtherance of a federal terrorism crime. He is awaiting sentencing. The Justice Department further alleged that the family sold personal property in 2024 to raise funds for the planned attack, including furniture, computers, a mobile phone and two vehicles. The department said Nazira signed a contract to sell the family's house. According to the complaint, the family also purchased one-way airline tickets for Nazira to travel with the children to Kabul shortly before the planned attack, although Abdullah and Tawhedi were not included in the travel plans.
The FBI wrote in a July 15 memo that 'the underlying information is classified because disclosure would enable terrorists and terrorist organizations to avoid preventative or detection measures or would reveal FBI or other US Intelligence Community sources.'
Allegations Without Charges
Zada has not been charged with terrorism and has no criminal record. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called her the 'matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family' involved in an Election Day 2024 mass shooting plot. The Justice Department argues she pledged loyalty to Daesh and helped indoctrinate her children. “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,” Blanche said in a statement before the hearing. Prosecutors have deemed much of the evidence classified and not safe for public release. FBI Director Kash Patel said the case represents a significant step in using the court to remove foreign nationals accused of supporting terrorism.
Zada's lawyer, Matthew Farley, argued during the hearing that the process violates due process protections and called it a 'runaround to bringing a criminal case.' Farley quickly asked the court's chief judge, Joan Ericksen, to dismiss the case and immediately release his client. Ericksen, a federal district judge appointed to oversee the court, denied the request. The court's lack of prior cases was evident as the judge, prosecutors and defense lawyers spent part of the proceeding resolving basic procedural questions, including how documents would be handled and who could access classified evidence. It was unclear when the next hearing would take place. The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established by Congress in 1996 to allow the U.S. government to seek the expedited removal of foreign nationals determined to be terrorists. Under federal law, the government must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that an individual is a terrorist for the court to order removal. The court is composed of U.S. federal district judges who are appointed to the ATRC by the chief justice of the United States. The court also allows the government to use classified information when publicly disclosing such material could pose a threat to national security. The law provides for legal representation for individuals facing removal when necessary and allows either party to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Justice Department said the case involves coordination among several federal agencies, including its National Security Division, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.