Trump revives obscure terror court to deport Afghan woman in ISIS plot case

An Afghan woman accused of backing an ISIS-inspired US attack plot faces deportation before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. The case is the first use of the 30-year-dormant tribunal and signals a tougher approach under the Trump administration.Image used for representational purposes onlyAn Afghan woman accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired plot in the US has become the first person to face deportation through the Trump administration's use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, an obscure tribunal that had remained inactive for 30 years, according to court records filed on Wednesday.The court is scheduled to hold a hearing in Washington, DC, on Thursday on the government's petition to deport Nazira Haji Zada of Fort Worth, Texas. Nazira was arrested earlier this week, and the Justice Department's application seeking her removal was unsealed on Wednesday night ahead of the hearing.An FBI memo dated July 15 said it had "developed information" that Nazira is an Islamic State supporter who had her children pledge loyalty to the terrorist group. The memo also said Nazira "supported" a plot by relatives to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack in the US.Court filings identify Nazira as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men who were convicted in Oklahoma for their roles in the 2024 Election Day plot. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, was sentenced last November to 15 years in prison. Court records show he had previously agreed to be removed from the US after his release from prison. Her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, had earlier worked as a security guard for an American military installation in Afghanistan. He pleaded guilty to conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group. Prosecutors have said he advanced his attack plans by ordering AK-47 rifles, liquidating his family's assets and buying one-way tickets for his wife and child to travel back to Afghanistan.The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established in 1996, but had not received a petition until this month. The court has the authority to conduct deportation proceedings for people whom the Justice Department classifies as "alien terrorists". It is made up of five federal judges from different districts across the country, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, with proceedings for now being held at the federal courthouse in Washington. "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," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. "The allegations in this case show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathising 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," he added.The case marks the first use of the long-dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court, with the government seeking Nazira Haji Zada's deportation over allegations that she backed relatives involved in an ISIS-inspired Election Day attack plot in the US.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 30, 2026 07:44 IST