US Deports Afghan Woman Accused of Supporting ISIS-Inspired Attack Plot

US Deports Afghan Woman Accused of Supporting ISIS-Inspired Attack Plot
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The United States has deported Afghan national Nazira Haji Zada after she admitted involvement in an ISIS-inspired mass shooting plot, marking the first use of a federal terrorism-related deportation court in nearly three decades.

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court ordered the deportation of Haji Zada, a US permanent resident, over allegations that she supported a planned attack targeting Election Day in 2024. The court’s decision, issued on August 20 and unsealed on September 11, followed her admission that she was an “alien terrorist” and her waiver of the right to appeal.

The US Department of Justice said Haji Zada’s removal represented a national security victory. Officials alleged that she pledged allegiance to ISIS, helped radicalize her children, and supported a terrorism plot involving her son and son-in-law.

Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, had previously been arrested and convicted in connection with the planned attack.

The case was handled under the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, established in 1996 but unused for nearly 30 years. The court has been revived by the current US administration as part of efforts to use existing immigration laws in national security cases.

Details of the allegations remain limited, as much of the case was conducted under seal. Haji Zada was represented by attorneys from the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Washington, D.C., who had previously indicated plans to challenge the government’s deportation efforts.