A commander of an Iraqi militia has been arrested and charged by the United States for his alleged role in planning more than a dozen terrorist attacks across North America and Europe. Prosecutors allege these plots were in retaliation for the Iran war.
**Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi**, 32, is accused by prosecutors of plotting an attack on a New York City synagogue, as well as two Jewish institutions in Los Angeles, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona. He faces **six terrorism-related counts**, according to a criminal complaint. His lawyer, however, asserts that he is facing a “political prosecution.”
Al-Saadi is allegedly a commander in **Kataib Hezbollah**, a group designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization operating in Iraq with alleged ties to Iran.
The Iraqi national was initially taken into custody in Turkey before being handed over to the FBI and transported to the U.S. He has since appeared in Manhattan federal court and remains detained pending trial.
According to court papers from the Justice Department, al-Saadi allegedly “directed and urged others to attack US and Israeli interests” in retaliation for the Iran war and to “further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Alleged Scope of Attacks
The charges claim al-Saadi has been involved in the “planning, execution and promotion” of approximately **18 reported terror attacks** in Europe and two in Canada, targeting U.S. and Israeli interests since March 9. The complaint details a series of incidents:
* An attack on a synagogue in **Liège, Belgium**, using explosives.
* An arson attack at a synagogue in **Rotterdam, Netherlands**, on March 13.
* An attack using explosives at a Jewish school in **Amsterdam**, followed by another at the Bank of New York Mellon in the same city on March 15.
These attacks allegedly continued through March and April in various European cities, including **London, Antwerp, Paris, and Munich**. On April 29, an individual reportedly stabbed two Jewish men in London.
Recruitment and Planning Efforts
Al-Saadi allegedly attempted to recruit an undercover agent to target a prominent U.S. synagogue, which was not identified in the criminal complaint. Officials state that he showed the agent, whom he allegedly believed to be a Mexican cartel member, a photo and a map of the site.
Prosecutors also claim al-Saadi was recorded on a phone call on April 1, inquiring about the cost to hire someone “to carry out a bombing operation” in the U.S. He allegedly stated, “I mean, we provide him with a Jewish temple, a Jewish centre.” Furthermore, he reportedly provided photos and maps of Jewish centers in **Los Angeles** and **Scottsdale**, asking if it was feasible to “set the three locations on fire at the same time.”
Defense Claims “Political Prosecution”
Andrew Dalack, al-Saadi’s attorney, told CBS News that his client is “essentially being subjected to a **political prosecution** in that he’s a prisoner of war and should be treated as such.” Dalack informed the BBC that his client was detained and handed over to U.S. authorities without any opportunity to challenge his arrest or transport. He added that al-Saadi is “being held in solitary confinement, which we think is cruel and unnecessary.”
The specific charges against him include conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to provide material support for acts of terrorism, and conspiracy to bomb a place of public use.
Al-Saadi allegedly worked closely with Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who was killed during a U.S. airstrike in 2020. The criminal complaint accuses al-Saadi of calling on others to attack and kill Americans, partly in retribution for Soleimani’s death.
U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the arrest exemplifies American law enforcement’s commitment to “disrupt and dismantle foreign terrorist organizations and their leaders.” Blanche added, “As alleged in the complaint, Al-Saadi directed and urged others to attack US and Israeli interests and to kill Americans and Jews in the US and abroad, and in doing so advance the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
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