OAN Staff Lillian Mann
6:11 PM – Friday, May 15, 2026
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a 32-year-old commander within the Iraqi terrorist group Kata’ib Hizballah, has been arrested and charged with providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations and directing a wave of international attacks.
According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court, Al-Saadi worked closely with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to coordinate at least 18 terrorist attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and two in Canada since March 2026.
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The global plot expanded to American soil when Al-Saadi unwittingly attempted to orchestrate a synchronized bombing and arson campaign against prominent Jewish institutions in New York City, Los Angeles, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
He was reportedly apprehended in Turkey and transferred into FBI custody after sending a $3,000 cryptocurrency down payment to an undercover law enforcement officer to carry out the attack on a Manhattan synagogue, according to a complaint unsealed in federal court on Friday.
FBI Director Kash Patel described Al-Saadi as a “high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism” and stated that his arrest is “a meticulously executed operation” by agency agents, investigators, tactical units, and law enforcement partners.
“Al-Saadi was charged by the complaint with six counts of terrorism-related offenses for his activities as an operative of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including his involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks throughout Europe and the United States,” the statement read.
“Thanks to the dedication and vigilance of law enforcement, this alleged terrorist commander is now in U.S. custody,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “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.”
Al-Saadi has also been charged with providing material support to Kata’ib Hizballah, an Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militant group, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both of which the U.S. has determined to be terrorist organizations. U.S. prosecutors reported that Al-Saadi was a Kata’ib Hizballah commander.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, whose officers investigated Al-Saadi as part of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, said the case “puts into stark relief the global threats posed by the Iranian regime and its proxies, including Kata’ib Hizballah.”
Al-Saadi reportedly smiled throughout his first court appearance, but did not say a word, according to The Associated Press.
“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,” Manhattan Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.
Al-Saadi appeared before a federal judge in Manhattan on Friday afternoon, where he claimed he was a “prisoner of war” because of his association with prominent Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020.
“It is very important to Mr. Al-Saadi that the court know that he is a political prisoner and a prisoner of war and should be treated as such,” his public defender, Andrew Dalack, told the court.
Al-Saadi also posted on social media in February, “Do not abandon the blood of your Imam of the time, oh Shiites of Iraq. Kill everyone who supports America and Israel.”
“Do not leave any of them remaining,” the post continued. “Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.”
The accused terrorist is currently in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which also holds other media-frenzied inmates like accused shooter Luigi Mangione and captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
“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,” Clayton said.
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