How A Terror Commander Allegedly Linked to Iran-Backed Militias Was Exposed

NEW YORK, NY- The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced last week that Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national and a senior member of Katai’ib Hizballah, a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization has been arrested in connection with six counts of terrorism-related charges in connection with his activities as an operative of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which included involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks throughout Europe and the United States.

Al-Saadi was presented in court on Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Nebrun in Manhattan federal court and ordered detained pending trial, according to a release from that office.

“Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander for the terrorist organization, Kata’ib Hizballah, faces serious charges for his role in numerous attacks against U.S. interests across the globe, including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.

“As alleged, for years, Al-Saadi committed himself to furthering the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, two terrorist organizations dedicated to harming the United States and its allies. More recently, Al-Saadi attempted to carry out attacks in the United States, including in New York City. Al-Saadi attempted to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence. In a righteous and just contrast, his prosecution will highlight the best of our country. Those who engage in or support terrorism against Americans and on U.S. soil should take note: the whole of the federal government is committed to dismantling terrorist organizations and bringing their members to justice. I commend our law enforcement partners for their outstanding investigative work resulting in the arrest of Al-Saadi, who will now face justice in a U.S. court.”

“As alleged in the complaint, Al-Saadi directed and urged others to attack U.S. and Israeli interests and to kill Americans and Jews in the U.S. and abroad, and in doing so advance the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. These charges show American law enforcement will never let such evil go unchecked, and will use all tools to disrupt and dismantle foreign terrorist organizations and their leaders.”

Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John Al. Eisenberg said that “Al-Saadi coordinated a wave of attacks across Europe, including bombings, arson, and assaults targeting American communities and interests. The complaint further alleges that Al-Saadi discussed attacking locations in New York, California, and Arizona, and presented a serious threat to our national security. We will continue to work closely with international partners to hold terrorists accountable in U.S. courts.”

“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,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

“This was a righteous mission executed brilliantly by our agents, investigators, CIRG tactical units and interagency partners who delivered yet again. We are greatly appreciative of the work of our allies around the world–especially to Ambassador Tom Barrack, who led this joint sequenced operation and has been instrumental in bringing this successful mission home to the United States.”

New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica S. TIsch highlighted the cooperation between the NYPD and federal partners.

“This case puts into stark relief the global threats posed by the Iranian regime and its proxies like Kata’ib Hizballah–Foreign Terrorist Organizations that have repeatedly targeted Jewish communities across Europe and the United States since the war began,” Tisch said.

“Working with our law enforcement partners, we disrupted a plot against a Manhattan synagogue, and in partnership with the synagogue’s leadership, ensured its security when the threat was elevated. The NYPD’s work in this case, from officers assigned to the JTTF, to intelligence analysts provided through our international liaison program, helped protect the streets of our city. The NYPD has the most robust municipal counterterrorism and intelligence capacity of any city in the world, which is only strengthened by our partnership with federal agencies on cases like this one.”

Al-Saadi is a commander for Kata’ib Hizballah, a U.S.-designated FTO operating in Iraq that is closely tied to the IRGC, which is also a designated FTO, is an Iranian military and counterintelligence agency that operates under the authority of Iran’s Supreme Leader.

The IRGC has publicly promised to conduct operations targeting those perceived to be enemies of the Iranian regime, and has plotted and conducted attack operations targeting, among others, U.S. citizens residing abroad and in the United States, including attacks that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Al-Saadi previously worked with Qasem Soleimani, who used to head the IRGC-QF and who was sent to meet his 72 virgins in a U.S. airstrike ordered by President Trump in 2020 during his first term. He also worked closely with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the leader of Kata’ib Hizballah until he was killed in the same airstrike that took out Soleimani.

Al-Saadi is alleged to have called on others to attack and kill Americans, including in retribution for Soliemani’s and al-Muhandi’s deaths.

The indictments allege that over the past few months, Al-Saadi and his associates have ‘lanned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe (“European Terrorist Attacks”), as well as two additional attacks in Canada in the name of Harakat al-Yamin al-Islamiya, a component of Kata’ib Hizballah.

On or about March 9, 2026, the release reads, which was the first day of the European Terrorist Attacks, Al-Saadi posted on one of his social media accounts a message calling on “warriors of Islam” to engage in “jihad,” or violent holy war.

Since that time, Al-Saadi and his associates have carried out attacks against U.S. interests. Al-Saadi and al-Yamin have also published videos of the attacks.

Numerous attacks involving U.S. and European interests have taken place since that time, pushed by Al-Saadi, including a stabbing in London on April 29, 2026 involving two Jewish male victims.

Al-Saadi, 32, has been charged with: (i) conspiring to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (ii)conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC, a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iii) conspiring to provide material support for acts of terrorism of attempting and conspiring to murder nationals of the United States, and bombing and conspiring to bomb a place of public use, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison; (iv) providing material support for acts of terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison; (v) conspiring to bomb a place of public use, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; and (vi) attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosive, which carries a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Coyle and Sarah L. Kushner are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Paul Case and James Donnelly of the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.