United States Arrests Kata'ib Hezbollah Senior Member Mohammad Baqir Saad Dawood Al-Saadi

The United States arrested Iraqi citizen Mohammad Baqir Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, described by the U.S. Department of Justice as a senior member of Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, and charged him with six “terrorism-related counts.”

“Todd Blanche said that the defendant directed and incited attacks against American and Israeli interests, and called for the killing of Americans and Jews inside the United States and abroad, in support of the goals of Kata'ib Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps”

Euronews

Euronews reported that Acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche said the defendant directed and incited attacks against American and Israeli interests, and called for the killing of Americans and Jews inside the United States and abroad, in support of the goals of Kata'ib Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Euronews

The arrest was tied to an alleged network connected to the IRGC that, according to the DOJ, received military, logistical, and intelligence support from the Quds Force, and the case included activity in Europe and North America.

Arab News said prosecutors described Al-Saadi as a senior operative in an Iran-backed militia who helped plot attacks across two continents, and it said the charges include conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to bomb a place of public use.

Arab News also reported that Al-Saadi was detained pending trial after being taken into custody in Turkiye, handed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and transferred to the US, with his defense lawyer Andrew Dalack telling CBS News that his client was “essentially being subjected to a political prosecution.”

Prosecutors said Al-Saadi was involved in the “planning, execution and promotion” of around 18 attacks in Europe, including bombings of synagogues and community centers in Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK, as well as two attacks in Canada targeting US and Israeli interests.

Arab News reported that the attacks began on March 9, just days after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, and it listed a bombing at a synagogue in Liege, Belgium, on March 9; an arson attack at a synagogue in Rotterdam on March 13; an explosive attack at a Jewish school in Amsterdam on March 14; and another at the Bank of New York Mellon in Amsterdam on March 15.

www.arabnews.jp

Euronews said Saadi was suspected of supervising about 18 terrorist attacks in Europe within a short period, and it also described planning attacks targeting sites in New York, California, and Arizona, along with attempts to carry out operations inside the United States.

Arab News further linked Al-Saadi to an April 29 stabbing in London’s Golders Green neighborhood, where intelligence gathering later revealed operatives possessed detailed maps, reconnaissance photographs and specific logistical plans provided by their handlers.

Euronews reported that the DOJ noted Saadi and his group claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Europe, in addition to two attacks in Canada, and it said the indictments described deliberate arson and bombings as well as the release of propaganda videos claiming responsibility for these operations.

The DOJ’s framing, as reported by Arab News, said Iran and the IRGC “use other terrorist and paramilitary proxies in the region to take lethal action,” and it said Kataib Hezbollah received “extensive training, funding, logistical support, weapons, and intelligence” from the Quds Force.

“Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi , with Qassem Soleimani”

yalibnan

Euronews reported that Saadi appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in New York, where a detention order pending trial was issued, and it said the FBI carried out an international transfer operation to bring Saadi to the United States for trial.

Arab News said the defense lawyer Andrew Dalack accused the US government of targeting Al-Saadi solely for his past ties to Soleimani, and it reported that Dalack told the BBC that his client was being held in solitary confinement, “which we think is cruel and unnecessary.”

Euronews added that FBI Director Kash Patel said the operation is part of ongoing efforts to pursue high-risk terrorists around the world, and it described Saadi as a high-priority target.

Arab News also reported that prosecutors said Al-Saadi worked closely with Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, and it said the case raised questions about whether Western security services are equipped to counter a new generation of decentralized extremist networks.