US arrests commander of Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah

The US Department of Justice has arrested and charged an Iraqi national accused of being a high-ranking commander of the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah, who allegedly orchestrated a series of international terrorist attacks. The indictment, unsealed on May 15 in Manhattan federal court, charges Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, in connection with at least 18 attacks and attempted attacks targeting the US, Canada, and Europe.

According to court records, the attacks were designed to pressure the US and Israel to cease military operations against Iran. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that al-Saadi was captured abroad and brought to the US, calling him a “high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism.”

Patel hailed the arrest as “a righteous mission executed brilliantly” by agents and tactical units, and extended special thanks to US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack for leading the coordinated operation to return the suspect. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the case “exposes the clear global threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies.”

According to federal prosecutors, al-Saadi is a senior leader of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraq-based militia designated by the US as a “foreign terrorist organization.” The FBI said he has been active in the group since 2017, working closely with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to advance regional operations.

Investigators believe al-Saadi maintained personal ties to senior military commanders, including the late Qassem Soleimani, former head of the IRGC’s Quds Force, and frequently used Snapchat and Telegram to promote their objectives and celebrate bombings. After armed conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran erupted in late February 2026, al-Saadi became a central figure coordinating international reprisals through a front organization, activating networks—often using teenage suspects—in Europe and Canada.

The indictment details a string of international plots directed by al-Saadi, including a firebomb attack on the Bank of New York Mellon building in Amsterdam in mid-March, a shooting at the US consulate in Toronto, and a stabbing in London that wounded an American citizen. French police also thwarted an attack on a Bank of America office in Paris, finding Molotov cocktails and improvised explosives containing 0.65 kg of explosives. Last month, al-Saadi shifted focus to the US: through an FBI informant and an undercover law enforcement officer, he allegedly offered to pay $10,000 in cryptocurrency for simultaneous attacks on a synagogue in New York and Jewish centers in California and Arizona. Court documents record al-Saadi telling the informant he was “ready to kill” and texting the undercover officer after an advance of $3,000: “I want to see good news tonight…not tomorrow my friend.”

Al-Saadi appeared in Manhattan federal court on May 15 on six charges: two counts of conspiracy to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations (Kataib Hezbollah and the IRGC), conspiracy to provide material support to an act of terrorism, providing material support to an act of terrorism, conspiracy to use explosives against public property, and destruction of property by fire or explosives. According to AP, al-Saadi smiled throughout the preliminary hearing but did not speak. He was not asked to enter a plea and will be detained pending a detention hearing, though he may seek bail. Defense attorney Andrew Dalack said al-Saadi claims to be a “political prisoner” and a “prisoner of war,” arguing that the US government is persecuting him solely for his past relationship with Soleimani. Dalack added that al-Saadi has been held in solitary confinement since arriving at the federal prison in Brooklyn on the evening of May 14, calling the treatment “unusual.” If convicted on terrorism and explosives charges, al-Saadi faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.