Federal authorities charged an Iran-backed Iraqi militia commander accused of orchestrating a sweeping retaliation campaign targeting Americans and Jews, alleging he coordinated nearly 20 attacks abroad before authorities disrupted a plot targeting a prominent Manhattan synagogue and Jewish institutions in California and Arizona.
Federal authorities alleged in a criminal complaint unsealed Friday that Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi — described as a senior commander within Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi terrorist organization backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — spent months coordinating attacks against American, Israeli, and Jewish targets as part of a broader retaliation campaign launched following the military conflict with Iran that erupted in late February.
Prosecutors allege Al-Saadi and his associates planned, coordinated, or claimed responsibility for at least 18 attacks across Europe and two additional operations in Canada while simultaneously attempting to expand that campaign onto American soil.
Authorities said Al-Saadi was transferred into U.S. custody overseas and brought to New York following what FBI Director Kash Patel described Friday as a successful Foreign Transfer of Custody, or FTOC, operation — an international process through which foreign governments transfer suspects into U.S. custody.
“The FBI’s successful FTOC of Mohammad Al-Saadi, another high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism, is just the latest success in this administration’s historic work to bring terrorists to justice,” Patel declared.
Patel later described the mission as “righteous,” crediting FBI agents, investigators, tactical teams, and interagency partners for carrying out the operation.
“We are greatly appreciative of the work of our allies around the world,” Patel added, specifically thanking Ambassador Tom Barrack, whom he said helped lead the effort that ultimately brought Al-Saadi into American custody.
According to prosecutors, the alleged terror campaign intensified following the launch of Operation Epic Fury in late February.
Court filings allege Al-Saadi repeatedly urged violence online and through encrypted communications, including calls for attacks against Americans and Israelis.
On the day the operation began, prosecutors allege Al-Saadi posted messages urging followers to “kill everyone who supports America and Israel.”
“Do not leave any of them remaining,” he allegedly continued. “Civil and military targets — kill them everywhere.”
Authorities further allege Al-Saadi directed and encouraged attacks against U.S. and Israeli interests, including operations specifically intended to kill Americans and Jews.
Investigators allege the retaliation campaign rapidly expanded across Europe in the weeks following the opening stages of the conflict.
Federal filings accuse Al-Saadi and operatives linked to the Iranian-backed terror network of carrying out or coordinating attacks targeting Jewish schools, synagogues, charities, financial institutions, and other sites across Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Britain, and Canada over the past several months.
The complaint alleges the attacks included a March synagogue bombing in Liège, Belgium; arson attacks targeting Jewish institutions in Rotterdam and London; explosives attacks against financial targets in Amsterdam and Paris; and the stabbing of two Jewish men in London.
Authorities further allege the organization operated under the name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI, a shadowy organization prosecutors now describe as functioning as a front linked to Kata’ib Hezbollah.
Federal authorities said they moved aggressively after learning Al-Saadi was allegedly attempting to expand those operations into the United States.
Prosecutors allege Al-Saadi believed he was communicating with a Mexican cartel operative capable of carrying out attacks inside the United States, when in reality he was speaking with an undercover law enforcement source.
According to the complaint, Al-Saadi allegedly shared maps and photographs of a Manhattan synagogue along with Jewish institutions in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona.
Investigators allege he agreed to pay $10,000 in cryptocurrency for the attacks and transferred roughly $3,000 as a down payment while insisting the operation be recorded.
On an April 1 call cited in court filings, Al-Saadi allegedly stated: “War will not end. Either they eradicate us, or we eradicate them.”
Officials said law enforcement disrupted the Manhattan component of the alleged plot before it could advance further.
“This case puts into stark relief the global threats posed by the Iranian regime and its proxies like Kata’ib Hizballah,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Friday.
She added: “Working with our law enforcement partners, we disrupted a plan to attack a Manhattan synagogue.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed the allegations as evidence of an international Iranian-backed terror campaign targeting Americans and Jews.
“These charges show American law enforcement will never let such evil go unchecked,” Blanche said.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton charged that Al-Saadi “attempted to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence,” adding that those who engage in or support terrorism against Americans and on U.S. soil “should take note.”
Court filings further allege Al-Saadi maintained close ties with senior Iranian-backed figures, including former IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and figures within his network before Soleimani was killed in a U.S. strike ordered by President Donald Trump in 2020.
Al-Saadi appeared Friday in federal court in Manhattan and was ordered held pending further proceedings.
His attorney later argued that his client viewed himself as a “political prisoner” and “prisoner of war,” while maintaining that Al-Saadi had been detained in Turkey and transferred into U.S. custody without an opportunity to challenge the process.
“Our position states that he’s a political prisoner and a prisoner of war,” his attorney said.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.