play Live Sign upShow navigation menuplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upEXPLAINERNewsUS charges alleged Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah suspect – What we knowA criminal complaint unsealed on Friday in a Manhattan federal court accuses Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, of involvement in at least 18 attacks and attempted attacks spanning the United States, Canada, and Europe.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoJudge Sarah Netburn presides as Mohammad al-Saadi, accused of planning an attack on a synagogue, appears in federal court in Manhattan, New York, US, May 15, 2026, in this courtroom sketch [Jane Rosenberg/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff and APPublished On 16 May 202616 May 2026The United States Department of Justice has arrested and charged an Iraqi national alleged to be a senior commander of an Iran-backed armed group that is said to have orchestrated a wave of international terror attacks.
A criminal complaint unsealed on Friday in a Manhattan federal court accuses Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, of involvement in at least 18 attacks and attempted attacks spanning the US, Canada, and Europe.
According to US court filings, the attacks were carried out to compel the US and Israel to halt their recent military actions against Iran.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that agency personnel arrested al-Saadi, whom he described as “another high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism”. Al-Saadi was arrested overseas and brought to the US. Patel called the arrest the latest success in the administration’s “historic work to bring terrorists to justice”.
In a post on X, Patel praised the tracking and capture as a “righteous mission executed brilliantly” by agents and tactical units, while extending special credit to US Ambassador Tom Barrack in Turkiye for leading the joint operation to bring the suspect home.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch added that the case “puts into stark relief the global threats posed by the Iranian regime and its proxies”.
Federal prosecutors identify al-Saadi as a high-level leader within Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraq-based fighter group designated by the US as a “foreign terrorist organisation”.
The FBI states that al-Saadi has been an active member of the group since at least 2017, working closely with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to advance its regional operations.
Investigators say al-Saadi maintained personal relationships with top-tier military leaders, including the late IRGC-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, and openly used the Snapchat and Telegram platforms to promote their agendas and celebrate bombings.
Following the start of the military conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran in late February 2026, prosecutors allege al-Saadi became a central figure in coordinating international retaliation through a front group to activate cells – frequently using teenage suspects – across Europe and Canada.
The complaint outlines a violent trail of international plots directed by al-Saadi, including the mid-March firebombing of a Bank of New York Mellon building in Amsterdam, a shooting at the US consulate in Toronto, and a stabbing in London that wounded an American citizen.
French police also thwarted an attack he allegedly coordinated against a Bank of America office in Paris, discovering a homemade petrol and firework bomb packed with 0.65kg (23oz) of explosives, The Associated Press news agency reported.
Last month, al-Saadi turned his attention to US soil. Working with an FBI informant and an undercover law enforcement officer, al-Saadi allegedly offered $10,000 in cryptocurrency to launch simultaneous attacks on a New York City synagogue and Jewish centres in California and Arizona, according to the AP.
Court documents note that al-Saadi told the informant he was “willing to kill people”, and sent a text message to the undercover officer after making a $3,000 crypto down-payment, stating: “I wanna see good news tonight … not tomorrow bro.”
Al-Saadi appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Friday, where he was hit with a six-count criminal complaint. The specific federal charges include:
According to the AP, al-Saadi smiled throughout the initial hearing but did not speak. He was not required to enter a plea and will remain jailed for the time being, though he retains the right to request a bail hearing.
Through his defence lawyer, Andrew Dalack, al-Saadi claimed he is a “political prisoner” and a “prisoner of war”, arguing that the US government is persecuting him solely because of his past ties to Soleimani.
Dalack noted that al-Saadi has been kept in solitary confinement since arriving at a federal jail in Brooklyn on Thursday night, calling the treatment “unusual”.
If the government secures a conviction on these terrorism and explosives counts, al-Saadi faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
