Iraqi militant leader ‘directed and urged’ attacks on Americans and Jews over Iran war, feds say

By Mark Morales, CNN

(CNN) — 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.

Prosecutors allege Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi “directed and urged others to attack US and Israeli interests,” in retaliation for the war and to “further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and his associates,” according to the complaint.

Al-Saadi also coordinated two additional attacks in Canada and directed others and attempted to coordinate terrorist attacks in the US, including against a synagogue in New York City, prosecutors allege.

Prosecutors say al-Saadi is a commander for Kataib Hezbollah, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization based in Iraq. The organization is also closely aligned with the IRGC, which is also a foreign terrorist organization. He’s been involved with the group since 2017, prosecutors say.

CNN was the first to report a link between Kataib Hezbollah and the group which claimed responsibility for the string of arson attacks that targeted Jewish sites across Europe, including synagogues, schools and ambulances.

Prosecutors allege Kataib Hezbollah has been operating under a pseudonym — Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) — to carry out the attacks. A source close to Kataib Hezbollah told CNN earlier this month that some members of HAYI are Iraqi and that the two groups are connected.

Al-Saadi was hit with a slew of charges including 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. He appeared in court on Friday in the Southern District of New York, where he was ordered to be held without bail. He did not enter a plea during the appearance.

“On the one hand – should be very alarming to the people in this country that there are men around the world trying to exact this sort of terror. On the other hand, it shows the success of good law enforcement work and good police work, and working hard to protect our borders, which is what we do every single day,” acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News.

Officials have not said how or when al-Saadi was arrested. However, flight records show a Justice Department aircraft often used for global extraditions flew to Turkey this week, returning via Morocco and landing in the New York City area late Thursday.

“My understanding at this point is that he was arrested in Turkey by Turkish authorities, likely at the behest of US authorities, and was handed over to US authorities without an opportunity to contest the legality of his detention or transport to the United States,” said al-Saadi’s attorney Andrew J. Dalack.

He promoted attacks on social media, prosecutors allege

Prosecutors allege al-Saadi was trying to orchestrate the bombing of a “prominent” Jewish synagogue in New York City.

He was also trying to target two other locations in the US, Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona, prosecutors allege in the complaint.

While trying to orchestrate the attack on the New York City synagogue, al-Saadi thought he was speaking to a Mexican cartel member who said he could carry out the violence when, in fact, he was dealing with an undercover agent, according to the complaint.

Al-Saadi agreed to pay $10,000 for the attack, but insisted it had to be recorded. Investigators say he insisted on the attack happening on April 6 and when the attack never materialized, he sent the undercover agent a text the next morning asking why, the complaint says.

“Our position states that he’s a political prisoner and a prisoner of war,” Dalack said after the court appearance. “He’s being punished for a perceived alleged connection with the late Qasem Soleimani.”

Soleimani is the Iranian commander who was killed in January 2020 by a US drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump at Baghdad International Airport.

Al-Saadi has close ties to other leaders of US-designated foreign terrorist organizations, including Esmail Qaani, Soleimani’s successor as the commander of IRGC-QF and Akram ‘Abbas al-Kabi, the secretary general of Harakat al-Nujaba, a militia backed by Iran, prosecutors said.

Al-Saadi would use various social media accounts to promote terrorist attacks and pledge retaliation, according to the complaint.

In July 2020, al-Saadi posted to his X account an image of the US Capitol in rubble along with the faces of fallen leaders like Soleimani, with the text “our revenge for the martyred leaders is ongoing. No negotiations with the occupier,” the complaint says.

The first attack started on March 9, when attackers used explosives on a synagogue in Liège, Belgium. Days later, on March 13, there was an arson attack against a synagogue in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The next day, a Jewish school in Amsterdam was attacked with explosives, according to the complaint. On March 15, the Bank of New York Mellon was also attacked with explosives in Amsterdam.

The spate of attacks continued throughout the month and into April, including an arson attack against a Jewish charity organization in London and another arson attack a day later on April 18, also in London, according to the complaint.

The violence also included an attack where two Jewish men were stabbed and seriously wounded in London on April 29, prosecutors said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Josh Campbell and Nechirvan Mando contributed to this story.