US Charges Iraqi Militia Leader With Terrorism Offenses After Arrest

The US government announced on Monday that it had taken custody of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a senior member of the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah. The Justice Department said he faces six terrorism-related charges for his involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks.

He was arrested in a foreign country, transferred to US custody and appeared in a New York federal court on Friday. US media outlets reported that the arrest occurred in Turkey. The Justice Department described Saadi, 32, as a senior Kataib Hezbollah member directly supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Officials said he and his associates planned, coordinated and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe and two in Canada in recent months. One of those actions was the attempted bombing of a Bank of New York Mellon branch in the Netherlands.

Authorities said Saadi acted in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI, which the department called a component of Kataib Hezbollah. The group has claimed dozens of attacks in Europe since the start of the Iran war, many of them targeting the Jewish community.

Saadi allegedly plotted in April and May to target Jewish institutions in New York, California and Arizona. He discussed these plans with an undercover law enforcement officer, according to the department. Images from his social media accounts showing him with Qasem Soleimani, the IRGC Quds Force commander killed in a US strike in 2020, were released by prosecutors.

>"For years, Al-Saadi sought to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence. " — U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton (Al-Monitor) Telegram channels linked to Kataib Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militias carried no comment on the charges. Efforts to reach a lawyer for Saadi were not successful.

HAYI has drawn attention from authorities across Europe after claiming responsibility for multiple incidents. These include a stabbing attack on two Jewish men in London in late April that led to the arrest of a Somali-born British citizen. Dutch authorities said in March they would investigate possible Iranian links to explosions at Jewish institutions in the Netherlands.

The Iranian embassy in London stated earlier this month that it denies any role in antisemitic violence in the United Kingdom.

The US government has increased pressure on Iraq to restrain Iran-backed armed groups operating inside the country. Since April, the Rewards for Justice program has offered rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the capture of four pro-Iran militia leaders.

Iraqi authorities have pledged to bring all weapons under state control while the militias have conducted hundreds of attacks on US forces in Iraq since the war with Iran began.