Iran-backed operative charged in terror plots targeting U.S. and Europe
Mohammad Al-Saadi, who is accused of working as an operative for Kata’ib Hizballah and the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been indicted in New York on terrorism charges tied to nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States, including a plot targeting a synagogue in New York, according to federal prosecutors.
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, was detained while traveling abroad on May 1 and brought to the United States nearly two weeks later. He faces eight terrorism-related charges, several of which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Federal prosecutors said Al-Saadi has been an operative for Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC since at least 2017, working with senior leaders and helping make military decisions against U.S. and Israeli targets. Both groups are designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations.
Kata’ib Hizballah is an Iran-backed militia based in Iraq. The IRGC is a branch of Iran’s armed forces that the United States accuses of backing militant groups across the Middle East and beyond.
The Justice Department said Al-Saadi helped plan and direct about 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe in recent months. Prosecutors said the attacks were carried out under the name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, which they described as a front for Kata’ib Hizballah and other designated terrorist groups.
Al-Saadi also tried to arrange attacks in the United States in March and April, including against a synagogue in New York City, according to the indictment.
On April 30, prosecutors said, Al-Saadi called a person in the United States and asked whether he knew someone who could “attack” inside the country, including by “burning, . . . or whatever he can,” including “killing.”
Al-Saadi was detained the next day while traveling abroad. He was transferred to FBI custody on May 14 and flown to the United States, where he was brought to the Southern District of New York.
While in FBI custody, Al-Saadi waived his Miranda rights and told agents he was a leader of “the resistance,” which he said included the IRGC and its proxies, including Kata’ib Hizballah, Hizballah and the Houthis, according to prosecutors.
Al-Saadi said he was in charge of media and psychological warfare, as well as strategy and military intelligence, prosecutors said. He also said propaganda videos of the European attacks were part of psychological warfare meant to spread fear among civilians.
“As alleged in this indictment, Al-Saadi has been directly involved in terrorist operations and military decisions to attack U.S. and Israeli interests across the world and conspired with others to plan deadly attacks on American soil,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
Federal prosecutors said Al-Saadi’s phone contained photos and videos showing his ties to leaders of the IRGC, Kata’ib Hizballah and the Houthis, along with images supporting the IRGC and Hizballah.
The phone also included a video showing Al-Saadi with Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC-QF who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2020, and Akram ‘Abbas al-Kabi, a U.S.-designated terrorist, in what appeared to be an underground operations center, prosecutors said.
In his post-arrest interview, Al-Saadi said he was “like a son” to Soleimani and had traveled with him before Soleimani was killed, according to prosecutors.
The Justice Department said Al-Saadi also described close ties to Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Prosecutors said Al-Saadi told agents he met with Khamenei in Iran about three days before the current conflict with Iran began on or about February 28 and Khamenei was killed.
Prosecutors said Al-Saadi’s phone showed his role in the European attacks, including FaceTime calls with attackers while some attacks were being carried out.
On April 14, Al-Saadi received videos showing two men in hazmat suits with the Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya logo and a drone that appeared to carry two vials of white powder, prosecutors said. Two days later, the group claimed on Telegram that it had attacked the Israeli Embassy in London with drones loaded with dangerous carcinogenic and radioactive materials.
On April 18, the day of an attack against a synagogue in London, Al-Saadi was seen on a FaceTime call as one person in English instructed another person to light and throw an object, according to prosecutors.
Federal prosecutors said Al-Saadi also coordinated with a Kata’ib Hizballah contact during the attacks. On April 29, the day two Jewish men were stabbed in London, including a dual U.S.-British citizen, Al-Saadi told the contact to post footage of the attack in the news, according to the indictment.
That same day, prosecutors said, Al-Saadi sent another message to the contact: “If God grants us success tonight, there will be a shooting at a restaurant.”
Al-Saadi is charged with conspiring to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah, conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC, conspiring to provide and providing material support for acts of terrorism, attempted terrorism transcending national boundaries, conspiring to bomb a place of public use, attempted destruction of property by fire or explosive, and financing terrorism.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
