Afghan woman accused of Islamic State plot deported from US in first case before secretive terror court

A 47-year-old Afghan woman, Nazira Haji Zada, has been deported to Afghanistan after being accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired terror plot by the US Justice Department. This marks the first case brought before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a secretive court that had been inactive for nearly three decades. Haji Zada was arrested in Texas in July and brought before the court after the Justice Department sought her deportation.

Her attorneys have challenged the legitimacy of the court and the decision to deport her without providing her or her attorneys the evidence that will be used against her, stating that it violates due process. The court consists of five federal judges appointed by the US chief justice, and it has jurisdiction over deportation proceedings involving people classified as "alien terrorists" by the Justice Department. Haji Zada's son and son-in-law are also involved in terror-related activities.