- Afghan national Nazira Haji Zada is the first individual to face charges in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a federal court established 30 years ago but never previously utilized.
- Zada, a lawful permanent resident, was arrested in Texas and appeared in the Washington D.C. court, accused of supporting an ISIS-inspired terror plot targeting Election Day 2024.
- The allegations stem from a conspiracy involving her son and son-in-law, who have already pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges in Oklahoma.
- Prosecutors claim Zada formally pledged loyalty to ISIS and indoctrinated her children, though she faces civil immigration charges, not criminal ones, with a lower standard of proof.
- Her court-appointed federal defender argues the court's process is unconstitutional, while the Justice Department asserts it possesses classified evidence to prove she is a deportable alien terrorist.
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