Commander of pro

The United States announced on Friday, May 15 that Mohammed Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, who is identified as a leader of the Hezbollah Brigades (Kata’ib Hezbollah), an Iraqi pro-Iranian armed group, has been arrested. He is accused of planning 18 attacks in the United States, Canada, and Europe, including against Jewish sites.

American authorities announced on Friday, May 15 the arrest and indictment of a commander of an Iraqi pro-Iranian militia whom they accuse of planning attacks in the United States, Canada, and Europe, including against Jewish sites.

Mohammed Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, identified as a leader of the Hezbollah Brigades (Kata’ib Hezbollah), an Iraqi pro-Iranian armed group, is a “high-value target, responsible for acts of mass terrorism on a global scale,” FBI Director Kash Patel congratulated.

Designated as a “terrorist group” by Washington, the Hezbollah Brigades are part of the “Islamic resistance in Iraq,” a pro-Iranian nebula that regularly claims drone and rocket attacks on bases hosting American soldiers, in Iraq and the Middle East.

Without specifying the location or date of his arrest, which took place abroad, the US Department of Justice indicates that he was transferred to the United States, where he was presented on Friday before a federal judge in New York who indicted him on six charges related to terrorist activities. He was placed in provisional detention.

According to American authorities, this 32-year-old Iraqi national and his associates “planned, coordinated, and claimed at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe and two additional attacks in Canada” in retaliation for the military offensive launched since February 28 by the United States and Israel against Iran.

The Ministry of Justice mentions in particular the knife attack against two Jewish men in London at the end of April, whose perpetrator was arrested and is awaiting trial. It also refers to several criminal fires or attempts targeting synagogues, Israeli businesses, or Jewish schools in Amsterdam, Munich, and elsewhere.

The exact role of Mohammed Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi remains unclear, with court documents mentioning propaganda videos circulated on social networks after various attacks.

During a telephone conversation, he reportedly told an FBI informant that he or his associates were involved in European attacks, as well as two attacks in Canada. American authorities believe that these include a shooting on March 10 at the American consulate in Toronto, which did not result in injuries.

Regarding his plans in the United States, the suspect allegedly provided an undercover agent with photographs and maps indicating the locations of a major synagogue in New York, as well as two other Jewish institutions in Los Angeles and Scottsdale (Arizona), ordering him to carry out terrorist attacks. He also reportedly discussed over the phone with the undercover agent the method to be used for the New York synagogue, mentioning an improvised explosive device. However, no attack took place.

According to the Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi had worked in the past “closely” with Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, leader of the Revolutionary Guards killed in 2020 by an American strike ordered by Donald Trump. He had also publicly called on several occasions to attack Americans.

In a February message addressed “to the Shiites of Iraq,” cited by American authorities, he wrote: “Do not betray the blood of your imam (…) Kill all those who support America and Israel. Do not let any of them alive. Civilian and military targets, as well as dissenting voices, kill them everywhere.”

The most serious charge against him is “conspiracy to explode a public place,” which carries a sentence of life imprisonment. “These indictments show that American law enforcement agencies (…) will use all means to dismantle foreign terrorist organizations and their leaders,” interim Justice Minister Todd Blanche reacted.