MANHATTAN (CN) - Federal prosecutors on Friday unsealed terrorism charges against the commander of an Iran-backed militia unit the government claims is behind at least 20 terror attacks across Europe and Canada in retaliation for the United States' war in Iran. 

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a 32-year-old Iraqi national, is also accused of plotting attacks on Jewish sites on U.S. soil - including a synagogue in New York City.

According to a criminal complaint in the Southern District of New York, al-Saadi helped facilitate numerous attacks "against U.S. and Israeli interests," like a double-stabbing against Jewish men in London and a firebombing of a bank in Amsterdam, on behalf of the Kata'ib Hizballah, a militia group tied to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"Al-Saadi and his associates have planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe as well as two additional attacks in Canada, in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, a component of Kata-ib Hizballah," prosecutors claim.

Al-Saadi made his initial appearance in Manhattan federal court Friday, in which he instructed his lawyer to tell the court that he was being persecuted for having a relationship with Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian military official killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2020.

The complaint against al-Saadi includes several photographs of him with Soleimani. And following Soleimani's killing, prosecutors say al-Saadi made posts on social media vowing "revenge for the martyred leaders."

"It's important to him that the court knows that he's being treated as a prisoner of war and that he's being persecuted for his relationship with [Soleimani]," Andrew Dalack, the federal defender representing al-Saadi, told a magistrate judge on Friday.

Al-Saadi sat uncuffed at the defense table, listening to the proceedings through an Arabic translator. 

Dalack told the court his client is currently being held in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Prosecutors say al-Saadi was arrested in Turkey and brought to Manhattan late Thursday evening, but the details of how he arrived stateside remain unclear. Dalack called the case "unusual" and requested more information from the government about his arrest. 

Al-Saadi faces six counts including conspiracy to provide material support for acts of terrorism, provision of material support for acts of terrorism, conspiracy to bomb a place of public use, destruction of property by means of fire or explosive and two counts of conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The government has not yet secured an indictment against al-Saadi, meaning he did not have to enter a plea at Friday's appearance. The court set a preliminary hearing for May 29. 

Prosecutors tie al-Saadi's charged conduct to the start of the joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran in February. Since then, they claim he "has directed and urged others to attack U.S. and Israeli interests, including by killing Americans and Jews, in retaliation for the Iranian military conflict and to further the terrorist goals of Kata'ib Hizballah and the IRGC."

On the day the conflict began, prosecutors say al-Saadi posted on Telegram, "Kill everyone who supports America and Israel. Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere." 

Al-Saadi also posted propaganda clips to encourage more violence and claim responsibility for certain attacks, according to the government. 

"On or about April 29, 2026, an individual stabbed and seriously injured two Jewish men - including a dual U.S.-British citizen - in London, United Kingdom. That day, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya posted a propaganda video on Telegram in which it claimed credit for that attack," prosecutors say.

Al-Saadi was supposedly eager to pay for an attack in the United States - specifically on a New York synagogue and two prominent Jewish centers in Los Angeles, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona. The government claims it has a recorded phone call of him offering to pay $10,000 to whomever could carry out such an attack, and appeared willing to work with a Mexican cartel member to make it happen.

But he unknowingly collaborated with an undercover law enforcement officer instead, leading to his arrest, the government claims.

"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," Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Friday. "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."

New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said her department disrupted the plot against a Manhattan synagogue, and "ensured its security when the threat was elevated." 

"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," she said in a statement.

Source: Courthouse News Service