Overview
- Prosecutors say Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, appeared in Manhattan federal court Friday after an overseas arrest, was ordered held without bail, and was charged with six terrorism offenses.
- U.S. filings allege he planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 attacks in Europe and two in Canada that targeted Jewish communities and U.S. or Israeli interests.
- Examples cited include a Bank of New York Mellon firebombing in Amsterdam, an attempted bombing at a Bank of America site in Paris, synagogue arsons in Europe, stabbings of two Jewish men in London, and a March shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto.
- Investigators say he tried to hire what he thought was a cartel member, who was an undercover officer, to bomb a New York synagogue, agreed to pay $10,000, pressed for the attack to be filmed, and shared maps and photos of Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale.
- Authorities describe Al-Saadi as a senior Kata'ib Hezbollah operative tied to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, say he used the alias network HAYI and online calls to violence, and note reports that Turkish authorities detained him before a U.S. transfer flight returned to New York.