Eight Charged in Terror Plot Targeting UFC Event and US Officials

U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II has announced federal charges against eight people involved in an alleged terror plot. The charges include providing support to terrorists, planning an attack at a UFC event, and plotting to murder government officials, including potentially the president and vice president. These offenses carry penalties up to life in prison.

The Trump administration plans to utilize a specialized federal court to deport Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman accused of aiding an Islamic State-inspired terror plot in the U.S. This marks the first use of the court since Congress established it three decades ago. The government made this known in court records made public Wednesday.

Nazira Haji Zada, residing in Fort Worth, Texas, is the first individual to face deportation through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court following her arrest earlier this week. An initial hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Washington, D.C., addressing the government’s intention to deport her.

“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,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated.

An FBI memo from July 15 revealed that authorities uncovered information suggesting Haji Zada’s support for the Islamic State. She allegedly had her children pledge loyalty to the group and supported a family plot to conduct an ISIS-inspired attack in the U.S. Her relatives were implicated in a 2024 Election Day terror plot in Oklahoma.

Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, received a 15-year prison sentence in November and agreed to deportation post-release. Her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a former security guard at a U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and attempted material support of the Islamic State. Prosecutors report his attempts to purchase weapons, liquidate family assets, and secure travel for his wife and child to Afghanistan.

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court, established in 1996, received its first petition with Haji Zada’s case. The court processes applications to remove noncitizens deemed “alien terrorists” under federal immigration law, using classified evidence. It is composed of five federal judges appointed by the Supreme Court’s chief justice, with proceedings held at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington.