A Hezbollah commander was arrested in New York. He was plotting to attack Jewish sites in the United States.
According to the New York Times, the commander of an Iranian-backed militia, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, has been charged with plotting to attack Jewish sites in the United States. It included a synagogue in New York and attacks in Europe as part of a retaliation campaign.
A criminal complaint unsealed on Friday accused the commander of planning at least 20 attacks in Europe and Canada since late February. Al-Saadi was detained in Turkey recently and handed over to U.S. authorities.
The complaint says he is a commander of Kataib Hezbollah. It is an Iraqi militia that is a proxy for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The terrorist militia has helped Tehran project power across the region, including through attacks on American forces and diplomatic targets.
From its inception, the militia has been closely tied to Iran’s Quds Force. The force is the overseas arm of the powerful Revolutionary Guards.
The Plan to Kill American Jews
The complaint says that Mr. al-Saadi planned to kill Americans and Jews in Los Angeles. Additionally, he had started planning an attack on a synagogue in New York City. As a leader of Kataib Hezbollah, Mr. al-Saadi worked with Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani. Suleimani had killed many U.S. soldiers and was killed by U.S. forces under the direction of President Trump.
Mr. Al-Saadi is one of the highest-level figures tied to Iran.
His case appears to involve the kind of retaliatory act of terrorism. It’s the kind that U.S. officials have long anticipated and feared.
Kataib Hezbollah has been accused of attacks on U.S. Army posts in Iraq and Syria. The group has long been one of the most important groups in Iran’s regional network of armed proxies.
Mr. al-Saadi and his associates have planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe and two additional attacks in Canada, the complaint says. It also accuses Mr. al-Saadi of directing others and trying to coordinate attacks in the United States, including in New York City.
We are so lucky he was caught, but how many others are there?
Breaking News: An Iran-backed militia commander was arrested and charged with plotting to attack Jewish sites in the U.S., including one in New York. Prosecutors say he is a leader of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia with ties to Iran. https://t.co/5FyiNgseXk
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 15, 2026