Iranian Terror Suspect Allegedly Directs Attacks From US Jail

US authorities suspect an Iranian-Iraqi terror operative, accused of planning numerous anti-Semitic attacks in the US and Europe, continues to manage operations from his detention cell in New York. Mohammad Baqer Sa'd Daoud Al-Sa'di, 32, extradited from Turkey in May and awaiting trial on six terror charges, is believed to be transmitting coded messages via phone calls to incite further activists, overseeing fund transfers totaling approximately $1 million, and supervising the release of propaganda videos encouraging terrorism.

These new details emerged from US Justice Department documents, as reported by the British newspaper The Times. Investigators reportedly believe Al-Sa'di used a FaceTime call with a woman, suspected to be his mother, to encourage the execution of further attacks. A video from this call, in which he declared, "We don't care if we fall on death or death falls on us as long as we are on the path of truth," garnered around 100,000 views on social media.

In another instance, the FBI intercepted a phone call where Al-Sa'di allegedly inquired about "work" for an individual within the Revolutionary Guards and discussed weapons and finances. Al-Sa'di, holding dual Iranian and Iraqi citizenship, is identified as a senior figure in Iraq's Kata'ib Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guards. He is accused of orchestrating a group that claimed responsibility for a series of firebombings targeting synagogues and Jewish sites in London and across Europe.

In the US, prosecutors allege he planned to attack synagogues and Jewish institutions in New York, Los Angeles, and Scottsdale, Arizona. His involvement in terrorism is linked to close ties with Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Kata'ib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, both killed in 2020. The indictment claims he recruited operatives and sought revenge for their deaths, even discussing attack plans with an FBI informant he attempted to recruit, expressing a willingness to murder Americans.

Al-Sa'di's influence is particularly noted in the UK, which has recently experienced a wave of Iranian-backed terrorism. Jonathan Hackett, a US intelligence expert at the RUSI think tank in London, stated that after a brief lull in Iranian activity in Britain around Al-Sa'di's extradition, the network appears to have been re-established by another operative. "Someone else like Al-Sa'di, operating in the same circle, has reached out remotely, recruited, and assigned tasks to agents within Britain," Hackett observed, suggesting a precise resumption of Revolutionary Guards operations, indicating Iran is operating at full capacity in the UK.

According to British security services, over 50 arrests of individuals linked to Iran have been made in the UK over the past year. Conversely, Al-Sa'di's defense team from the Federal Defenders of New York has labeled the proceedings against him a "political persecution," arguing the prosecution's claims rely on speculation and misinterpretations. They also protest his harsh detention conditions, including near-total isolation and severe restrictions on access to information and family contact, deeming them "inhumane conditions that violate his constitutional rights and the Third Geneva Convention."

Al-Sa'di's trial is expected to commence next summer, and if convicted of the most serious charges, he faces a potential life sentence.