The U.S. Department of Justice utilized a specialized court to deport Nazira Haji Zada, a legal U.S. resident, who admitted to being an “alien terrorist.” Haji Zada, originally from Afghanistan, supported a planned mass shooting inspired by the Islamic State, orchestrated by her son and son-in-law. Both men have been charged and will be deported after serving their prison sentences.
Haji Zada’s son, Abdullah Haji Zada, received a 15-year prison sentence for his role. Initially arrested in July at her residence in Fort Worth, Texas, she attended a hearing later that month. Rather than facing criminal charges, she underwent civil proceedings at the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. This court, created in 1996, allows the DOJ to leverage classified evidence for deportation cases, citing national security risks.
Court records from August 20 reveal that Haji Zada agreed to her deportation without contesting the allegations. Her admission won’t influence criminal proceedings, as disclosed documents were released publicly. Her court-appointed attorneys, Matthew Farley and Mary Manning Petras, challenged the case’s constitutionality, noting their inability to access the government’s evidence. The evidence remains classified due to security concerns.
Haji Zada’s legal team stated that consenting to deportation doesn’t validate the court’s legitimacy. They assert that barring lawful residents from evaluating the evidence violates due process, predicting the court’s potential unconstitutionality.
Haji Zada arrived in the U.S. as a permanent resident in 2018. Her husband worked at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2016. Authorities claim Haji Zada radicalized her family and pledged allegiance to ISIS. Allegations include indoctrinating her children with ISIS ideology and fundraising for a planned attack by selling household items and a property, unbeknownst to her husband.
Court documents detail her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, confessed to purchasing weapons and ammunition for a mass-casualty attack, consulting with an ISIS associate about adequacy. Tawhedi pleaded guilty to terrorism charges. Attorney General Todd Blanche endorsed the court’s use as a protective measure for national security.
Blanche emphasized the case as a triumph for national security and justice, underscoring the DOJ’s commitment to utilizing all available resources.