Justice Department: Eight Individuals Charged in Alleged Terrorist Plot
The Justice Department has announced that eight people are facing federal charges related to an alleged terrorist plot. This involves providing support to terrorists and planning an attack at a UFC event, with intentions that may have included targeting government officials like the president and vice president. If convicted, they could face penalties that go up to life in prison.
In a separate case, the Trump administration is attempting to utilize specialized federal courts for deportation proceedings for the first time in thirty years. This effort aims to deport an Afghan woman accused of aiding an Islamic State-inspired terrorist operation within the United States. Nazirah Haji Zada, currently residing in Fort Worth, Texas, is the initial subject of this legal action after her recent arrest.
The court is set to hold its inaugural hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday regarding Haji Zada’s deportation.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche commented on the situation, stating, “The charges in this case reveal that a family patriarch associated with ISIS is involved in a plan to execute a mass casualty attack against American voters on Election Day.” He emphasized that the department’s actions signify that terrorists are unwelcome in the United States.
According to an FBI document from July 15, law enforcement allegedly constructed false information suggesting Haji Zada supported ISIS and had instructed her children to pledge allegiance to the group. The memo indicated that Haji Zada may have endorsed a familial plot to execute ISIS-inspired strikes in the U.S.
Haji Zada is identified in court records as the mother and stepmother of two Afghan men who faced conviction in Oklahoma for an attempted terror plot linked to the 2024 Election Day.
One of her sons, Abdullah Haji Zada, received a 15-year prison sentence in November and had previously agreed to be deported upon his release.
Adding another layer, her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tauhedi, who worked as a security guard for U.S. military locations in Afghanistan, admitted to conspiring to offer material support to ISIS. Prosecutors allege he sought to acquire an AK-47, liquidated family assets, and arranged a one-way flight for his wife and child back to Afghanistan to facilitate his plans.
The Foreign Terrorist Exclusion Tribunal was established back in 1996 but had not received a single application until now, when the Justice Department moved to deport Haji Zada. This rarely used tribunal is designed to handle deportation requests for noncitizens identified as “alien terrorists,” especially when evidence includes classified material.
Blanche remarked, “Thirty years ago, Congress created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court to eject foreign terrorists who should not have been in the U.S. from the outset.” The court comprises five federal judges from various districts across the country, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. For the moment, all proceedings will take place at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington.
