Washington, September 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The United States has deported an Afghan woman who admitted supporting a family plan to carry out an ISIS-inspired mass-casualty attack during the 2024 US presidential election, the US Department of Justice said on Friday.
Nazira Haji Zada, 47, who previously lived in Fort Worth, Texas, was returned to Afghanistan after becoming the first person to be removed through the US Alien Terrorist Removal Court, according to the Justice Department. She has been permanently barred from re-entering the United States.
Zada conceded that she was an “alien terrorist” and waived her right to appeal. The removal order was issued on August 20 by Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen and unsealed on Friday after Zada had been deported.
The case stems from the arrests of her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, on October 7, 2024, after they allegedly purchased firearms and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee.
Abdullah, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty as an adult and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He has agreed to be deported to Afghanistan after completing his sentence.
Tawhedi, 28, pleaded guilty in June 2025 to two terrorism-related offences involving support for ISIS and the acquisition of firearms and ammunition. He is awaiting sentencing.
According to court documents cited by the Justice Department, Tawhedi admitted conspiring to acquire two AK-47 rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition and 10 magazines for an attack planned around November 5, 2024, the US election day.
Federal prosecutors alleged that the family began selling belongings to finance the planned attack and that Zada signed an agreement to sell the family home. The family also purchased one-way tickets to Kabul for travel shortly before election day. The tickets included Zada and minor children but not Abdullah or Tawhedi.
“This landmark case, resulting in the prompt removal of this alien terrorist to her country of origin, is a win for national security and the rule of law,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Zada had supported a plot by ISIS-sympathising family members to carry out an attack in the US.
The US government filed the removal application on July 15. The Justice Department said classified information was used to establish its case, while Zada and her two federal public defenders were provided about half a terabyte of supporting documents.
Zada first appeared before the court on July 30, with Judge Ericksen later signing the removal order.
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