'High-value target': US charges Iran-backed militia commander over plotting attacks on Jewish sites
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'High-value target': US charges Iran-backed militia commander over plotting attacks on Jewish sites")
US charges Iran-backed militia commander over plotting attacks on Jews Photograph: (FBI)
US charges Iran-backed militia commander over alleged terror plots targeting Jews, synagogues, and US-linked sites in Europe and America
US authorities on Friday (May 15) announced charges against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an alleged commander of the Iran-backed militia Kataeb Hezbollah, accusing him of plotting terrorist attacks targeting Jewish communities in Europe, Canada, and the United States. Al-Saadi, 32, allegedly directed and encouraged attacks on US and Israeli interests and called for the killing of Americans and Jewish people in retaliation for the war involving Iran. US authorities identified him as a senior member of Kataeb Hezbollah, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iran has previously faced accusations of attempting to orchestrate terrorist activities abroad, with several incidents reported since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February. According to US court filings, Al-Saadi and unidentified associates allegedly planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks across Europe and two in Canada. "Those attacks appear to have been carried out both in retaliation for the United States and Israel's recent military actions against Iran and to compel the United States and Israel to halt those actions," a criminal complaint states.
Authorities cited multiple incidents, including the non-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London on April 29, along with arson attacks targeting synagogues, Israeli-owned businesses, and Jewish schools in Amsterdam, Munich, and other cities. While prosecutors did not clearly define Al-Saadi’s operational role, they alleged he shared propaganda videos of the attacks on social media after they occurred. Investigators also claimed that during a recorded phone call, Al-Saadi unknowingly told an FBI informant that he or his associates were involved in the European attacks, as well as two incidents in Canada. Authorities believe those incidents include the March 10 shooting at the US Consulate in Toronto, where no injuries were reported.
‘High-value target’
Al-Saadi is also accused of plotting attacks inside the United States, including plans targeting a synagogue in New York and Jewish centers in California and Arizona.
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According to prosecutors, he allegedly paid an undercover US agent a $3,000 advance payment to carry out the New York attack before an arrest warrant was issued.
Kash Patel said on X that the FBI had arrested and brought Al-Saadi to the United States, describing him as a "high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism."
Al-Saadi appeared in a Manhattan court on Friday and faces six charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to Kataeb Hezbollah and the IRGC. He has also been charged with conspiring to support acts of terrorism and conspiring to bomb a public place. Kataeb Hezbollah is part of a pro-Iran network in Iraq that has repeatedly claimed responsibility for attacks on American targets in the Middle East.
The United States previously blamed the group for the December 2020 attack on an Iraqi military base housing US troops that killed an American contractor. The incident sharply escalated tensions and ultimately led to the US drone strike in Baghdad that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Kataeb Hezbollah was also accused of kidnapping American journalist Shelly Kittleson for several days in March 2026 during heightened conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
