Feds Nab Iran-Backed Terror Commander Behind Global Campaign Targeting Americans, Jews

Federal authorities charged an Iran-backed Iraqi militia commander accused of orchestrating a sweeping retaliation campaign targeting Americans and Jews, alleging he coordinated nearly 20 attacks abroad before authorities disrupted a plot targeting a prominent Manhattan synagogue and Jewish institutions in California and Arizona.

Federal authorities alleged in a criminal complaint unsealed Friday that Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi — described as a senior commander within Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi terrorist organization backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — spent months coordinating attacks against American, Israeli, and Jewish targets as part of a broader retaliation campaign launched following the military conflict with Iran that erupted in late February.

Prosecutors allege Al-Saadi and his associates planned, coordinated, or claimed responsibility for at least 18 attacks across Europe and two additional operations in Canada while simultaneously attempting to expand that campaign onto American soil.

Authorities