The Justice Department today announced an eight-count indictment charging Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, with terrorism-related offenses for his activities as an operative of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), two U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), including his involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks throughout Europe and the United States.
“As alleged in this indictment, Al-Saadi has been directly involved in terrorist operations and military decisions to attack U.S. and Israeli interests across the world and conspired with others to plan deadly attacks on American soil,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Now that he has been removed from his perch as an alleged commander of Kata’ib Hizballah with close ties to the Iranian regime and its proxies around the world, we look forward to vigorously prosecuting him under American law in an American courtroom.”
“As alleged, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi worked with Iranian-backed terrorist organizations to direct successful attacks that targeted civilians and attempted to target civilians in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “Al-Saadi claims to be part of the ‘resistance,’ a group that includes the IRGC, an Iran-based designated foreign terrorist organization. These organizations have a stated goal of destroying our society and our collective commitment to freedom, security, and a better world for our children. The IRGC’s claims are not just rhetoric, they are taking action around the world to undermine America and American values. All Americans should recognize that we have sworn enemies and when your enemies tell you something, and when they act, you should know that they mean it. For over 40 years, Iranian-backed groups, including the IRGC, have been committed to bringing terror to our shores, and our Office is proud to join with our colleagues across the Justice Department, the FBI, the NYPD, and many other partners to bring these groups to justice.”
“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, interagency partners and our allies around the world who delivered yet again. This FBI will use our vast resources to detect and stop acts of terrorism and will work with our Justice Department partners to make sure those who engage in such actions are held accountable.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and other public court filings, Al-Saadi, a longtime operative of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, has furthered the terrorist goals of those groups since at least in or about 2017. Al-Saadi allegedly has worked closely with senior leaders of both terrorist organizations and, following U.S. airstrikes killing certain of those terrorist leaders, has directed others to exact retribution by killing U.S. citizens and U.S. political and military leaders. In addition, as alleged, in recent months, Al-Saadi has helped plan and direct approximately 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe on behalf of those terrorist organizations (the “European Terrorist Attacks”). Those attacks were carried out in the name of a purportedly new terrorist group with the pseudonym Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, which is actually a front of Kata’ib Hizballah and other U.S. designated FTOs.
In addition, in or about March and April 2026, Al-Saadi attempted to carry out attacks in the United States, including against a synagogue in New York, New York. Most recently, on or about April 30, Al-Saadi tried to find someone in the United States who could carry out a terrorist attack and kill or injure individuals here. Specifically, that day Al-Saadi called an individual in the United States (SOI-1) and asked if SOI-1 knew someone who could “attack” in the United States, including by “burning, . . . or whatever he can,” including “killing.” The next day, however, Al-Saadi, who was based in Iraq, was detained while traveling abroad.