The US Department of Justice (DOJ) reported on May 15 that the US has arrested and indicted Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, alleging that he is a commander within the Iraqi anti-imperialist organization Kataib Hezbollah and that he has committed six terrorism-related crimes.
The DOJ indicted Al-Saadi on May 13, charging him with conspiracy to provide material support to the “terrorist” organizations Kataib Hezbollah of Iraq and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and conspiracy to provide material support for acts that involve killing US nationals and bombing a public location. If convicted, Al-Saadi faces life in prison.
The DOJ also alleges that Al-Saadi coordinated 18 armed actions throughout Europe and two attacks in Canada, all of which are technically outside the scope of the indictment due to being outside of the US. DOJ prosecutors stated that Al-Saadi was arrested by Turkish officials in Turkey and later transferred to the US without the ability to contest his arrest or transfer.
The evidence relied upon in the DOJ indictment consists mostly of social media posts that support resistance against US aggression in the Middle East, which the DOJ alleges are composed by Al-Saadi. Other pieces of evidence include photographs of Al-Saadi speaking with Qasem Soleimani, a former leader of the IRGC Quds Force assassinated by US imperialism, and testimony from an undercover police officer, who claims to have been communicating directly with Al-Saadi about attacking a synagogue in New York City.
Central to the DOJ’s case is the accusation that Al-Saadi is a senior member of Kataib Hezbollah, an organization that the DOJ alleges is a proxy for the IRGC. The DOJ has provided no direct evidence to support their claims that Al-Saadi is an agent of Kataib Hezbollah, that Kataib Hezbollah is a proxy of the IRGC, or that Al-Saadi directly provided material support for either organization.
Al-Saadi did not speak at his first court appearance on May 15 in Manhattan and remains in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, NY. In statements communicated by his lawyer, Al-Saadi has described himself as a prisoner of war and a political prisoner, stating that his persecution is due to his relationship to Qasem Soleimani.
The Iraqi resistance organization Kataib Hezbollah supports the Iranian resistance against the US imperialist war of aggression and has independently carried out defensive acts against US imperialism and Zionism in the region. Kataib Hezbollah has never claimed responsibility for actions outside of the Middle East.
On May 18, Abou Moujahed al-Assaf, a Kataib Hezbollah commander, denied that Al-Saadi was a member of Kataib Hezbollah, saying that Saadi “will return to his country with his head held high, because he is among the lovers and supporters of the resistance.”
Image: Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi is escorted from a plane for his transfer to the US. Credit: @NewYorkFBI on X.
The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today:
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
