An Iraqi national accused of plotting 18 attacks across Europe in retaliation for US and Israeli actions against Iran has pleaded not guilty in a New York court. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, appearing in Manhattan federal court on Monday, declared himself a 'prisoner of war' and protested that 'children and women are being killed by your rockets.'
Al-Saadi is charged with conspiring to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah, an Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militant group, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both designated as foreign terrorist organisations by the US. Prosecutors allege he was a commander within Kata’ib Hizballah.
His lawyer, Andrew Dalack, told the court that Al-Saadi worked for the Iraqi government and was held in an underground Turkish prison for two weeks before being handed over to the FBI. Dalack also said his client believes he is being persecuted due to his relationship with Qasem Soleimani, the Revolutionary Guard leader killed in a US drone strike in 2020.
The charges include the firebombing of a bank in Amsterdam and stabbings of Jewish men in London. US authorities also allege Al-Saadi planned to attack a New York City synagogue last month and provided an undercover officer with photos and maps of Jewish centres in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona. He is further accused of involvement in attacks on a synagogue and the US consulate in Toronto in March.
Court papers state that Al-Saadi posted about the attacks on Snapchat and Telegram, and discussed them in phone calls recorded by an FBI informant. He remains in custody in Brooklyn, with his lawyer expecting severe restrictions on his communications.
