US charges Iraqi militia commander with terrorism offences

A commander of an Iraqi militia has been arrested for his alleged role in planning more than a dozen terrorist attacks in North America and Europe, which prosecutors allege was in retaliation for the Iran war.

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, was plotting an attack on a New York City synagogue, and two Jewish institutions in Los Angeles, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona, say prosecutors.

He is charged with six terrorism-related counts, according to a criminal complaint. His lawyer says he is facing "political prosecution".

Saadi is allegedly a commander in Kataib Hezbollah, a US-designated foreign terrorist organisation operating in Iraq with ties to Iran.

An Iraqi national, he was taken into custody in Turkey before being turned over to the FBI and transported to the US, the justice department said in documents unsealed on Friday. He appeared in Manhattan federal court and was detained pending trial.

He "directed and urged others to attack US and Israeli interests", in retaliation for the Iran war and to "further the terrorist goals of Kata'ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps", the criminal complaint states.

The charges allege he has been involved in "the planning, execution and promotion" of some 18 reported terror attacks in Europe and two in Canada against US and Israeli interests since 9 March.

In the first incident, there was an attack on a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, using explosives, the complaint states.

Four days later, on 13 March, there was an arson attack at a synagogue in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The following day, there was one using explosives at a Jewish school in Amsterdam, then another at the Bank of New York Mellon in the same city on 15 March.

The series of attacks continued through March and April in a number of cities throughout Europe, including London, Antwerp, Paris and Munich.

Saadi allegedly tried to recruit an undercover agent to target a prominent synagogue, which was not identified in the criminal complaint.

He showed the agent, whom he allegedly thought was a Mexican cartel member, a photo and a map of the site, according to officials.

Prosecutors say Saadi was recorded on a phone call on 1 April asking how much it would cost to hire someone "to carry out a bombing operation" in the US.

"I mean, we provide him with a Jewish temple, a Jewish centre," the defendant allegedly said.

He also allegedly provided photos and maps of Jewish centres in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, asking if it was possible to "set the three locations on fire at the same time".

But Saadi's attorney, Andrew Dalack, told CBS News, the BBC's US partner: "He's essentially being subjected to a political prosecution in that he's a prisoner of war and should be treated as such."

The BBC has contacted Saadi's attorney for comment.

The charges include conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, conspiracy to provide material support for acts of terrorism, and conspiracy to bomb a place of public use.

He allegedly worked closely with Qasem Soleimani, the longtime commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC), who was killed during a US airstrike in 2020.

The criminal complaint accuses Saadi of calling on others to attack and kill Americans, including in retribution for Soleimani's death.

US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the arrest was an example of American law enforcement serving to "disrupt and dismantle foreign terrorist organizations and their leaders".

"As alleged in the complaint, Al-Saadi directed and urged others to attack US and Israeli interests and to kill Americans and Jews in the US and abroad, and in doing so advance the terrorist goals of Kata'ib Hizballah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," Blanche said in a statement.