Overview
- Al‑Saadi, arrested overseas and brought to New York, appeared in Manhattan federal court Friday and was ordered detained on six terrorism counts.
- He allegedly sought attacks on a New York synagogue and Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, sharing maps and photos with an undercover officer and sending a $3,000 crypto down payment toward a promised $10,000.
- U.S. filings tie him to at least 18 attacks in Europe and two in Canada, including a bank firebombing in Amsterdam, thwarted explosives at a Paris office, synagogue arsons, London stabbings, and a shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto.
- Prosecutors say he operated through a front group called HAYI, posted calls to “kill everyone who supports America and Israel,” and maintained ties to Iran’s IRGC, with photos showing him alongside Qassem Soleimani.
- Officials have not disclosed where he was captured as reports point to Turkey, the FBI chief called him a “high‑value target” taken into U.S. custody through a foreign transfer process, and his lawyer contests the detention as political and cites solitary confinement.