An Iraqi militia leader accused of orchestrating a series of antisemitic attacks in London has been charged in the United States. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 53, is alleged to have boasted in recorded calls that 'this war will not end' and that he had 'no problem with killing'.
According to a US Department of Justice indictment unsealed in Manhattan, al-Saadi is linked to eight attacks in London between March 23 and April 29 this year. These include the firebombing of Jewish community ambulances, a synagogue, and the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green. He is also accused of attempting to fly a drone into the Israeli embassy and an arson attack on a Persian-language media organisation.
The charges allege that al-Saadi led a group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (Hayi), which claimed responsibility for the attacks on social media. He is said to have been secretly recorded telling an FBI informant that he was 'running multiple teams' in Europe and did not need help there, but sought assistance for attacks in Canada or the United States.
Al-Saadi was arrested in Turkey and extradited to the US. He appeared in court on Friday, smiling but not speaking, and was remanded in custody without entering a plea. His lawyer described him as a political prisoner, claiming he was being persecuted for his ties to former Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, killed by a US drone strike in 2020.
The indictment also accuses al-Saadi of plotting to provide support to Hayi and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both designated foreign terrorist organisations by the US. He faces charges including conspiracy to provide material support for terrorism and conspiracy to bomb a public place.
