{"id":2637882,"date":"2026-07-30T14:48:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-administration-launches-first-case-before-dormant-alien-terrorist-court\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T14:54:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:54:14","slug":"trump-administration-launches-first-case-before-dormant-alien-terrorist-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-administration-launches-first-case-before-dormant-alien-terrorist-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump administration launches first case before dormant &#8216;Alien Terrorist&#8217; court"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-administration-launches-first-case-before-dormant-alien-terrorist-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2637882&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Trump administration is set to initiate the first-ever case before the dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court, created in 1996 but never used until now. The case involves Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan woman with a green card living in Fort Worth, Texas, accused by the Justice Department of supporting an ISIS-linked terrorist plot involving her family members.She is scheduled to appear before the court in Washington, D.C., marking the first public proceeding in this specialized tribunal\u2019s history. <\/p>\n<p>FBI investigations allege that Haji Zada supported ISIS,pledged allegiance to the group,and worked to radicalize her family,including her son Abdullah and son-in-law Nasir Tawhedi. The FBI states she collaborated with Tawhedi to radicalize her family and hide their pro-ISIS activities from her husband. despite these allegations, she has not been charged with terrorism or has a criminal record.<\/p>\n<p>The case stems from a broader FBI investigation that led to the arrest of Abdullah Haji Zada-who was 17 at the time-and Tawhedi in October 2024 for attempting to attack on Election Day with weapons purchased from an undercover FBI agent, allegedly in support of ISIS. Abdullah was sentenced to 15 years and is set for deportation to Afghanistan after serving his sentence, while Tawhedi pleaded guilty to supporting ISIS and firearms charges.<\/p>\n<p>The Alien Terrorist removal Court was established to handle cases involving non-citizens accused of terrorism,especially where classified national security data is involved. It operates with a five-judge tribunal appointed by the Supreme Court, allowing for closed proceedings with only unclassified summaries provided to the respondent. The case&#8217;s approval process included certification by the attorney general and a probable cause finding by a judge, with the court now serving as a new tool for national security and immigration enforcement. This hearing will test the court\u2019s effectiveness in such cases, potentially setting a precedent for future terrorism-related deportations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Trump administration<\/a> is bringing the first-ever case before a little-known national security court created nearly three decades ago, seeking to deport an Afghan woman with a green card who the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a> alleges supported an Islamic State-linked terrorist plot involving her son and son-in-law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nazira Haji Zada, 47 of Fort Worth, Texas, is scheduled to appear on Thursday before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"260\">Washington, D.C.<\/a> The hearing will mark the first public proceeding in the court\u2019s history after Congress created the specialized tribunal in 1996 but never used it.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4669205\/trump-administration-first-case-dormant-alien-terrorist-removal-court\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump administration launches first case before dormant \u2018Alien Terrorist\u2019 court<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4669081\/migrants-bullrush-spanish-border-humanitarian-social-emergency\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Thousands of migrants bull-rush Spanish border, sparking \u2018total humanitarian and social emergency\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4666267\/ice-overhauls-dress-code-deportation-officers\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>ICE overhauls dress code for deportation officers, bans jeans and T-shirts, leaked memo says<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe 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,\u201d acting Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-blanche\/\">Todd Blanche<\/a> said in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/department-justice-files-first-case-us-alien-terrorist-removal-court-deport-afghan-alien-who\">statement<\/a>. \u201cCongress 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to an unclassified FBI summary filed with the court, investigators allege Haji Zada supported <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/isis\/\">ISIS<\/a>, pledged allegiance to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/terrorism\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"103\">terrorist<\/a> group, and helped radicalize members of her family. The FBI alleged she supported a conspiracy involving her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, and \u201cworked to indoctrinate her children with ISIS ideology\u201d based on information from what it described as a reliable source.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNazira worked with Tawhedi to radicalize the family and to conceal their pro-ISIS teaching and planned family relocation to ISIS-controlled territory from her unsuspecting husband,\u201d the FBI wrote in an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atrc.uscourts.gov\/docs\/2026-TRC-1-Exhibit%20E%20-%20Unclassified%20Summary.pdf\">unclassified summary<\/a> filed in the removal court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Haji Zada has never been charged with a terrorism offense and has no known criminal history.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The removal case stems from a broader FBI terrorism investigation that led to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/opa\/pr\/afghan-national-arrested-plotting-election-day-terrorist-attack-name-isis\">arrests<\/a> of Abdullah Haji Zada and Tawhedi in October 2024 after they allegedly purchased two AK-47-style rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI agent as part of a planned Election Day attack in support of ISIS.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abdullah Haji Zada, who was 17 when he was arrested but later pleaded guilty as an adult, was sentenced to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/afghan-national-sentenced-serve-15-years-federal-prison-after-plotting-election-day-terror\">15 years in prison<\/a> and agreed to be deported to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/afghanistan\/\">Afghanistan<\/a> after serving his sentence. Tawhedi <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/afghan-national-pleads-guilty-plotting-election-day-terror-attack-united-states\">pleaded guilty<\/a> in June last year to attempting to provide material support to ISIS and related firearms offenses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Court filings allege the pair also planned to relocate female relatives and juvenile family members, including Haji Zada, to ISIS-controlled territory in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Congress created the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fjc.gov\/history\/courts\/alien-terrorist-removal-court-1996-present\">Alien Terrorist Removal Court<\/a> as part of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 for cases in which the government says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-denies-trump-bid-to-stop-records-release-to-jan-6-panel\/\" title=\"... Denies Trump Bid to Stop Records Release to Jan. 6 Panel\">classified national security information<\/a> is necessary to prove a noncitizen should be deported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike traditional <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/immigration\/\">immigration<\/a> proceedings, the court allows judges to review classified evidence in closed proceedings, while providing the respondent only an unclassified summary of the allegations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The five-judge tribunal, whose members are appointed by the chief justice of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/supreme-court\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a>, is modeled after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Before a public hearing can occur, the attorney general must certify the government\u2019s application, and a judge must find probable cause that the respondent qualifies as an \u201calien terrorist\u201d under federal law.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Court records show Blanche approved the application on June 30, and prosecutors filed the first case in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atrc.uscourts.gov\/docs\/2026-TRC-1-Order.pdf?utm_campaign=alien-terrorist-removal-court-has-its-first-case&#038;utm_medium=referral&#038;utm_source=www.courtwatch.news\">court\u2019s history on July 15<\/a>. Chief Judge Joan Ericksen, a federal judge from Minnesota, initially ordered the DOJ to supplement its legal arguments before later finding probable cause to allow the case to proceed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4667554\/berlin-queer-commissioner-islamic-attack-pride-parade-conservative-violence\/\">BERLIN\u2019S \u2018QUEER COMMISSIONER\u2019 CONDEMNS ISLAMIC ATTACK ON PRIDE PARADE AS \u2018CONSERVATIVE\u2019 VIOLENCE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Haji Zada became a permanent resident in 2018 after her husband, who worked at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in support of U.S. forces, received a green card through a program for Afghan allies.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thursday\u2019s hearing will mark the first public test of a tribunal that existed only on paper for nearly 30 years and could set a precedent for how the government uses the court to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >pursue future terrorism-related deportation cases<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First-ever case before obscure security court targets Afghan woman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2637883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26206032037570.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[83451,49347,32285,50611,32640],"class_list":["post-2637882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-alien-terrorist-court","tag-immigration-enforcement","tag-legal-case","tag-national-security-2","tag-trump-administration"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26206032037570.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2637882"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2637891,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637882\/revisions\/2637891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2637883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2637882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2637882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2637882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}