Afghan woman removed from US in first terror court case

An Afghan woman accused of supporting a plot to carry out a mass shooting in the United States has been sent back to Afghanistan in the first case heard by a special US terror court, the Department of Justice said Friday.

Nazira Haji Zada, 47, a Texas resident, was removed from the United States on August 25 on the orders of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in Washington, the department said.

The court was established by Congress 30 years ago but had not previously been used, according to the Department of Justice.

The department said Zada, who came to the United States in 2018, “conceded that she is an alien terrorist and waived appeal of the removal order.”

Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case a “win for national security and the rule of law” and said it showed the department would use available tools to protect the country.

Zada's son, Abdullah Haji Zada, pleaded guilty with Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi to plotting an attack on US election day in 2024 on behalf of the Islamic State.

Abdullah Haji Zada, who was 17 when he was arrested, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2025. Tawhedi is awaiting sentencing.

Court documents said the pair bought two AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI employee to carry out what was described as a mass-casualty attack.