Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi
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Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi
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محمد باقر سعد داود السعدي
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| Born | 1993 (age 32–33) |
| Organization | Kata'ib Hezbollah (alleged) |
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi (born 1993) is a commander of Kata'ib Hezbollah, a Shia Iraqi militia group backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. After being arrested in Turkey in 2026, he was charged by the US for plotting or being involved in having a role in the 2026 London antisemitic attacks.
Background
Al-Saadi was born in 1993 in Iran, to Iraqi Shia parents who left Iraq for exile in Iran during the Iran–Iraq War. His given name, Mohammad Baqer, is thought to be a reference to the martyr Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr who was executed by Ba'athist Iraq in 1980.[1]
One expert told The Guardian that al-Saadi had been recruited in his early 20s into a Shia militia created by the Iranian government after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Al-Saadi was deployed to Syria during the Syrian civil war when Shia militia forces were sent by Iran to bolster the regime of Bashar al-Assad. According to The Guardian, while in Syria he often exaggerated his combat experience.[2]
Arrest
On 15 May 2026, he was arrested in Turkey and charged by the United States Justice Department for plotting or being involved in terrorist attacks in Europe and North America, including targeting a synagogue in New York City and other Jewish sites during the 2026 London antisemitic attacks, in retaliation to the 2026 Iran war.[3][4] He was accused of involvement in the stabbing of two Jewish men in London, United Kingdom in April 2026.[5] Additionally, the New York Post reported that he plotted to assassinate U.S. president Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump in retaliation for the 2020 strike against former Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.[6][7]
References
- ^ Mohammad Baqer al-Saadi: Profiling an IRGC and Iraqi Militia Operative, Combating Terrorism Center, May 2026
- ^ Burke, Jason (2026-06-07). "Could this one man have been behind terrorist attacks on Jewish communities across Europe?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ^ "Iran-linked militia commander arrested for planning attacks on U.S. Jewish sites".
- ^ Bensimon, Benjamin WeiserOlivia; Coleman, Maia (May 15, 2026). "Militia Commander Tied to Iran Plotted Attacks on Jewish Sites, Prosecutors Say" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Burke, Jason (May 16, 2026). "Arrest of Iraqi terror suspect with alleged links to Iran's Quds Force is astonishing but not surprising" – via The Guardian.
- ^ "Soleimani admirer plotted to kill Ivanka Trump, threatened to 'burn Trump's house'". May 23, 2026 – via www.ynetnews.com.
- ^ "Iraqi National With Alleged IRGC Links Accused Of Plotting Ivanka Trump Assassination To Avenge Qasem Soleimani Killing: Report". Free Press Journal.