Iran-Linked Commander Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi Charged With Nearly 20 Attacks

Federal authorities arrested and charged Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a 32-year-old accused commander in a terrorist organization linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, after prosecutors alleged he carried out and plotted nearly 20 attacks across Europe and Canada and targeted Americans and Jews, including plans to blow up a Big Apple synagogue.

“Federal authorities arrested and charged an Iraqi militant leader with coordinating and planning at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe that targeted Americans and Jews, all in the name of ending the war in Iran, according to a federal criminal complaint”

CNN

The New York Post said al-Saadi was hauled into New York court after allegedly orchestrating the firebombing of the Bank of New York Mellon in Amsterdam and the stabbing of two Jewish victims in London, and it described prosecutors alleging he also planned a “prominent” Manhattan temple attack on April 6 that was foiled when he sent $3,000 to an undercover law enforcement officer he believed was a Mexican cartel member.

CNN

The Guardian reported that the US justice department announced the arrest of al-Saadi on Friday and said he faces six terrorism-related charges tied to his alleged role as an operative for Kata’ib Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both designated by the US as terrorist organizations.

Prosecutors allege al-Saadi worked closely with Qassem Suleimani, the former IRGC commander killed in a US airstrike in 2020, and the Guardian said the complaint alleges al-Saadi was close to Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, who was killed alongside Suleimani.

In Manhattan federal court on Friday, the Guardian said al-Saadi appeared after being transferred into United States custody overseas before being brought to the US, while the New York Post said prosecutors described him as having “planned, coordinated and taken responsibility for” attacks including a March 9 bombing of a synagogue in Liège, Belgium and a March 13 arson of a Rotterdam temple.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told NBC News that “Working with our law enforcement partners, we disrupted a plan to attack a Manhattan synagogue,” and she added that in partnership with the synagogue’s leadership, police “ensured its security when the threat was elevated.”

In the same case, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News, “should be very alarming to the people in this country that there are men around the world trying to exact this sort of terror,” while also saying the situation “shows the success of good law enforcement work and good police work.”

Haaretz

The New York Post quoted Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton saying, “Al-Saadi attempted to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence,” and it said Clayton added that “his prosecution will highlight the best of our country.”

Al-Saadi’s attorney Andrew J. Dalack told CNN that “Our position states that he’s a political prisoner and a prisoner of war,” and he said he understood al-Saadi was arrested in Turkey by Turkish authorities and handed over to US authorities.

CNN reported that al-Saadi did not enter a plea during his appearance in the Southern District of New York and that he was ordered to be held without bail, while the New York Post said prosecutors alleged he posted a threat on Snapchat the next day after the Bank of New York Mellon bombing.

Prosecutors allege al-Saadi directed and urged others to attack US and Israeli interests in retaliation for the war in Iran, and CNN said the complaint describes him as seeking to “further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

“Iran-backed militia commander charged with plotting to attack American Jews Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander of the Kataib Hezbollah militia, reportedly helped plot at least 18 attacks around the world in revenge for the war against Iran Haidar Mohammed Ali/Anadolu via Getty Images Federal authorities have charged an Iran-backed militia commander with plotting to attack Jewish sites in New York City and Los Angeles”

Jewish Insider

The New York Post said the criminal complaint alleges al-Saadi posted online in February, “Kill everyone who supports America and Israel,” and it quoted him adding, “Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.”

The Guardian said the justice department’s complaint alleges al-Saadi was involved in a firebombing attack on New York Mellon in Amsterdam and also an arson attack on a synagogue in Skopje, north Macedonia, in April, alongside the stabbing of two Jewish men in London, England.

NBC News reported that al-Saadi was accused of attempting to hire someone—who turned out to be an undercover member of law enforcement—to carry out attacks planned for New York City, Los Angeles, and Scottsdale, Arizona, and it said the NYPD confirmed the allegations of a planned terrorist attack in a statement.

CNN said the case is tied to a broader pattern in which prosecutors allege Kata’ib Hezbollah operated under a pseudonym, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), and it quoted Dr. Sajjan Gohel saying that although the plot was stopped, “the infrastructure the IRGC has created remains intact.”