By SETH J. FRANTZMAN MAY 15, 2026 23:52 The US has arrested Iraqi national and senior member of the Kataib Hezbollah terrorist organization, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, on Friday. He was charged with providing material support for Iranian-backed terrorist organizations and accused of directing attacks targeting US citizens and interests
On May 15, the US Justice Department announced “the arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national and senior member of Kataib Hezbollah,” the department said. “In recent months, Al-Saadi has also allegedly directed and urged others to attack US and Israeli interests, including by killing Americans and Jews, to further the terrorist goals of Kataib Hezbollah and the IRGC.”
The case is the latest in US attempts to go after Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The Justice Department posted a photo of Saadi with the late IRGC Quds force commander Qasem Soleimani. The US killed Soleimani in a 2020 drone strike in Iraq, also killing Kataib Hezbollah commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in the same strike.
In recent months, the US has put out at least four rewards of $10 million each for information on various Iraqi militia leaders.
The Saadi charges appear important and illustrate that the US long arm of justice can reach out and find these perpetrators.
A man holds a Kataib Hezbollah flag in Baghdad, Iraq. September 22, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/THAIER AL-SUDANI) “Al-Saadi was charged by complaint with six counts of terrorism-related offenses for his activities as an operative of Kataib Hezbollah 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 US stated. Saadi is 32 years old, the report says.
He was transferred to the US from overseas, although the US did not specify where he was arrested.
“Al-Saadi was presented earlier today before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan federal court and ordered detained pending trial,” according to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Blanche added that “thanks to the dedication and vigilance of law enforcement, this alleged terrorist commander is now in US custody… As alleged in the complaint, Al-Saadi directed and urged others to attack US and Israeli interests and to kill Americans and Jews in the US and abroad, and in doing so advance the terrorist goals of Kataib Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
FBI carried out Foreign Transfer of Custody to bring Saadi to justice The FBI did a Foreign Transfer of Custody (FTOC) to bring Saadi to the US. “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.
He is accused of coordinating a wave of attacks across Europe, including bombings and arson. According to the US statement, “Saadi discussed attacking locations in New York, California, and Arizona and presented a serious threat to our national security. We will continue to work closely with international partners to hold terrorists accountable in US courts.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. noted that, “in the span of just three months, Mohammad Al-Saadi allegedly directed 18 terrorist attacks throughout Europe, including against United States citizens and interests, and planned to conduct a similar attack here in our country.”
Threats posed by Iran-backed militias in Iraq The case illustrates the threat of Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. It comes as Iraq has a new government of Prime Minister Ali al Zaydi. Zaydi is being pressured by the US to rein in the militias.
“Iran and the IRGC use other terrorist and paramilitary proxies in the region to take lethal action and to carry out operations against the United States and its allies. These proxies include Kataib Hezbollah, which has received extensive training, funding, logistical support, weapons, and intelligence from the IRGC’s external operations force, the IRGC Quds Force (IRGC-QF),” the Justice Department noted.
It appears he may be linked to recent threats to Jews and Israel during the recent Iran conflict.
On or about February 2026, for example, Al-Saadi posted on one of his social media accounts a message in Arabic, which read in part, “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. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere,” the US stated.
“Al-Saadi and his associates have planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe (the ‘European Terrorist Attacks’), as well as two additional attacks in Canada, in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, a component of Kataib Hezbollah,” the US added.
The Department of Justice went on to argue that “similar attacks continued in or about March and April 2026, accompanied by videos allegedly published by Al-Saadi in which Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility for the attacks. In one such attack, on or about April 12, 2026, an arson was allegedly committed against a synagogue in Skopje, North Macedonia.” The report also notes another linked attack “on or about April 29, 2026, two Jewish men, including a dual US-British citizen, were stabbed and seriously injured in London, United Kingdom.”
He also was involved in threats to US Jewish institutions in New York City. On April 3, he was in contact with an undercover law enforcement officer.
He faces a long list of charges, many of which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.