- Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, an Iraqi national and alleged senior member of Kata’ib Hizballah, was arrested and charged May 15 with six terrorism-related offenses tied to alleged support for Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Justice Department said he helped coordinate attacks claimed by an Iran-backed terrorist organization in Europe and Canada and directed an undercover officer to target Jewish sites in the United States.
- According to the DOJ, Al-Saadi allegedly identified synagogues and Jewish institutions in New York, Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Ariz., as potential targets and discussed methods of attack, including arson and the use of improvised explosive devices. Prosecutors also allege he sought to recruit individuals to carry out attacks on behalf of the organization.
- The criminal complaint describes a broader pattern of alleged targeting of U.S. and Jewish interests. Separately, recent reporting has linked Al-Saadi to an alleged assassination plot targeting Ivanka Trump, though that allegation is not part of the charges announced by the Justice Department. Al-Saadi was ordered detained pending trial. READ MORE