The US is accused of suspecting that Kataib Hezbollah is supported by Iran – What we know | Story

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A criminal complaint released Friday in federal court in Manhattan accuses Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, of being involved in at least 18 terrorist attacks and attempted attacks in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

The United States Department of Justice has arrested and charged in Iraq the head of an Iranian-backed military group that it says is responsible for international terrorism.

A criminal complaint released Friday in federal court in Manhattan accuses Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, of participating in at least 18 terrorist attacks and attempted attacks in the US, Canada, and Europe.

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According to the US court, these threats were made in order to force the US and Israel to stop what they are doing against Iran.

The head of the FBI, Kash Patel, confirmed that the agency’s operatives had arrested al-Saadi, who he described as “another high-value target of international terrorism”. Al-Saadi was arrested overseas and brought to the US. Patel said the arrest was the latest success in “a long-standing mission to bring criminals to justice”.

In a letter on X, Patel praised the tracking and filming as “a righteous job done skillfully” by agents and intelligence groups, while giving special credit to US Ambassador Tom Barrack in Turkey for leading the effort to bring the suspect home.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch added that the case “will bring to light the alarming international threat posed by the Iranian regime and its proxies”.

Who is Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi?

Federal prosecutors identified al-Saadi as a senior leader within Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi military group designated by the US as a “foreign terrorist organization”.

The FBI says al-Saadi has been a member of the group since 2017, working closely with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to advance its regional operations.

Investigators said al-Saadi maintained ties to top military leaders, including IRGC-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, and openly used Snapchat and Telegram platforms to promote their cause and celebrate the bombings.

Following the start of the military conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran at the end of February 2026, the critics say that al-Saadi became the main figure in directing international retaliation through a front group to launch cells – often using young suspects – in Europe and Canada.

What are they being accused of?

The complaint details al-Saadi’s worldwide string of violent attacks, including the mid-March firebombing of the Bank of New York Mellon building in Amsterdam, the shooting at the US embassy in Toronto, and a stabbing in London that injured an American citizen.

French police also foiled an alleged attack against the Bank of America office in Paris, after finding a homemade petrol and firecracker bomb packed with 0.65kg (23oz) of explosives, the Associated Press reported.

Last month, al-Saadi turned himself in on US soil. Working with an FBI informant and an undercover law enforcement officer, al-Saadi allegedly offered $10,000 in cryptocurrency to launch a simultaneous attack on a New York City synagogue and Jewish sites in California and Arizona, according to the AP.

Court documents show al-Saadi told the informant he was “ready to kill people”, and texted the official after paying $3,000 in crypto, saying: “I want to see the good news tonight … not tomorrow bro.”

Fees and Consequences

Al-Saadi appeared in Manhattan court on Friday, where he faced six charges. The special federal fees are:

• Two charges of conspiracy to support foreign terrorist organizations (Kataib Hezbollah and IRGC).
• Conspiracy to support terrorist activities.
• Providing support for terrorist activities.
• A plot to blow up a public place.
• Destruction of property by fire or explosives.

According to AP, al-Saadi smiled throughout the hearing but did not speak. He did not have to plead and will remain in prison until now, although he has the right to apply for a bail hearing.

Through his lawyer, Andrew Dalack, al-Saadi said he is a “political prisoner” and a “prisoner of war”, saying the US government is persecuting him because of his past relationship with Soleimani.

Dalack said al-Saadi had been held in custody since he arrived at the federal prison in Brooklyn on Thursday night, calling the treatment “unusual”.

If the government obtains a conviction on the charges of terrorism and the threats, al-Saadi could face up to life in federal prison.