A Fort Worth, Texas, woman, Nazira Haji Zada, 47, is facing deportation for her alleged role in an ISIS-inspired plot to carry out a mass shooting on Election Day in 2024. The Department of Justice has filed its first-ever application in the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court, seeking her removal from the United States.

Background

Zada’s son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 28, and her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, were previously arrested and convicted for their roles in the attack plan. The family had sold off personal belongings to raise cash for the operation, and Zada had signed a contract to sell the family’s home and bought one-way airline tickets to take her other children to Kabul, Afghanistan, shortly before the planned shooting date.

Federal authorities originally arrested Tawhedi and Abdullah on Oct. 7, 2024, following an undercover FBI operation where the pair purchased two semi-automatic rifles, 10 magazines, and 500 rounds of ammunition. Abdullah, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, pled guilty as an adult and received a 15-year prison sentence. Under his plea deal, he agreed to a judicial order of removal back to Afghanistan once his sentence ends, forfeiting his lawful permanent resident status and waiving his rights to appeal or seek asylum.

Tawhedi pled guilty on June 13, 2025, to two federal terrorism counts, including attempting to provide material support to ISIS and acquiring firearms for a terrorist act. According to court filings, Tawhedi admitted to planning the mass-casualty attack for around Nov. 5, 2024, and had discussed the weapon purchases with an ISIS facilitator.

Government Response

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement, “The allegations in this case show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing 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.”

FBI Director Kash Patel added, “No one should be allowed to come into our country and then betray it. The FBI and our Justice Department partners will not hesitate to use all available resources to protect the American people.” The case involves joint operations across multiple agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.