US charges Iraqi with plots to target Jews from UK to US

Washington: A suspected Iraqi militia commander was arrested for his alleged role in planning over a dozen terror 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, alongside two Jewish institutions in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, as per a criminal complaint, BBC reported.

Al-Saadi is allegedly a commander in Kata’ib Hizballah, 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, where he appeared in Manhattan federal court and was detained pending trial.  

Court papers allege he directed others to attack US and Israeli interests to further the goals of his militia and Iran’s IRGC. The charges allege involvement in 18 reported terror attacks in Europe and two in Canada since March 9. These included an explosive attack on a Belgian synagogue, a March 13 arson strike in Rotterdam, and a March 14 bombing at an Amsterdam Jewish school.  

Recorded phone calls from April 1 show al-Saadi attempting to recruit an undercover operative to bomb and burn down specified sites. He also allegedly worked closely with Qasem Soleimani, the IRGC commander killed in 2020.  

US Acting Attorney Gene­ral Todd Blanche said the arrest serves to disrupt and dismantle foreign terrorist organisations. Conversely, de­fence attorney Andrew Dala­ck told CBS News his client is being subject to a political prosecution as a prisoner of war, adding, holding him in solitary confinement is cruel and unnecessary.