US Arrests Senior Iraqi Militia Commander Over Alleged International Terror Plot
American authorities said the Iraqi suspect coordinated alleged attacks in Europe and Canada and discussed plans targeting Jewish sites in the United States.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - US authorities announced on Friday the arrest of a senior member of the Iran-backed Iraqi group Kataib Hezbollah on charges related to planning attacks in the United States, Canada, and Europe, including alleged terrorist plots targeting Jewish sites.
FBI Director Kash Patel identified the suspect as Mohammed Baqir Saad Dawood al-Saadi, describing him as a Kataib Hezbollah official and “a high-value target responsible for mass terrorist activities on a global scale.”
Washington classifies Kataib Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization,” and the group has repeatedly claimed responsibility for drone and rocket attacks targeting bases hosting US troops in Iraq and across the Middle East.
The US Department of Justice said Saadi had been transferred to the United States, though it did not specify where or when he was arrested.
He appeared before a federal judge in New York on Friday, where he was formally charged with six terrorism-related offenses and ordered held in pretrial detention.
According to US authorities, the 32-year-old Iraqi citizen and his associates “planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe and two attacks in Canada” in response to the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran launched on Feb. 28.
The Justice Department referenced a stabbing attack targeting two Jewish men in London in late April, where the suspect has already been arrested and is awaiting trial.
It also cited arson attacks and attempted arson incidents targeting Jewish synagogues, Israeli-owned stores, and Jewish schools in Amsterdam, Munich, and other locations.
Authorities said Saadi’s precise operational role remains unclear, although court documents referenced propaganda videos posted on social media following several attacks.
During a phone conversation with an FBI informant, Saadi allegedly stated that he or his associates were involved in the attacks in Europe and the two operations in Canada.
Regarding alleged plans inside the United States, prosecutors accused Saadi of providing an undercover agent with photographs and maps identifying the location of a major synagogue in New York, along with two additional Jewish institutions in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona.
According to the allegations, he instructed the undercover operative to carry out attacks against the sites and discussed the possible use of an improvised explosive device in an attack on the New York synagogue.
The Justice Department also stated that Saadi had previously worked “closely” with Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike near Baghdad airport in January 2020.
Authorities further accused him of repeatedly and publicly calling for attacks against Americans.