Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, the terror commander arrested by US authorities for planning at least 18 terror attacks in Europe, plotted to kill Donald Trump and wage jihad through a new proxy group, prosecutors said on Friday.
Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national, worked with a new Iranian-backed terrorist group that allegedly emerged “overnight” after the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
“Essentially overnight, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya was able to activate terrorist cells across Europe to carry out nearly 20 attacks in the weeks immediately following the start of the Iranian Military Conflict,” according to an indictment in the Southern District of New York filed on Friday.
Al-Saadi, 32, was identified as a senior official in Kata’ib Hizballah, a terror outfit allegedly behind Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HIYA). This new group emerged in March this year, right after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, and has been accused of carrying out 18 bombings, stabbings and arson in Europe targeting Americans and Jews.
The court filings further show that Al-Saadi and his associates also planned, coordinated and claimed responsibility for at least two terrorist attacks in Canada.
‘Kill Trump, Free Americans’
On April 20, Al-Saadi posted a message on Snapchat threatening the US President. He urged HIYA followers to “kill this arrogant, criminal, cursed Trump”.
“We direct our message to the free people of America, especially the security services, the Secret Service, and the victims of Epstein Island, where the blood of families was spilled and the lives of children were taken,” it read.
Along with the message came a logo of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya.
Terror Commander Wanted To Wage Jihad
The newly-formed terror group’s first attack came on March 9 when it bombed a synagogue in Belgium’s Liege. Following that attack, al-Saadi posted the HIYA symbol on Telegram along with a message that prosecutors say urged more violence, according to the court filings.
He called on “warriors of Islam”, asking them to wage jihad and “set out where the darkness shelters,” the indictment read.
Following his call, supporters launched a spree of anti-semitic and anti-American attacks in Europe including the stabbing of two Jewish men in London on April 29, as well as several arson attacks on synagogues, Israeli businesses and Jewish schools in Amsterdam, Munich and elsewhere.
Al-Saadi appeared at a Manhattan court on Friday and has been charged with six counts, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorist groups, bombings, and others.