Iraqi man accused of plotting NY synagogue attack appears in court

An Iraqi man accused of plotting to bomb a New York synagogue, as well as other Jewish establishments across the country, appeared in federal court Friday, smiling as prosecutors laid out allegations tying him to Iranian-backed militant groups.

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, was planning on “targeting the heart of our Jewish community” in NYC last month, police commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said Friday in remarks made hours after federal prosecutors said they had disrupted the alleged plot before it could be carried out.

"The attack never occurred because the defendant was, in fact, plotting with an undercover law enforcement officer, and thanks to the extraordinary work of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, the men and women of the New York City Police Department, and the prosecutors at the Southern District of New York, the threat was identified, monitored and controlled from the outset,” Tisch said from Temple Emanu-El on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which officials said was not the synagogue targeted in the alleged plot.

Tisch also said police would not publicly identify the synagogue that was allegedly targeted, but confirmed that the NYPD is actively taking security measures and working to ensure its safety.

"He chose that synagogue because it was, quote, 'a beacon for solidarity and support to Israel ant it’s Zioninst objectives,'" Tisch said.

Al-Saadi faces multiple terrorism-related charges, including conspiring to provide material support to Iran-aligned groups such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kata’ib Hizbollah.

A photo released as part of the criminal complaint purported to show Al-Saadi in conversation with Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC Quds Force. Soleimani was assassinated in Iraq on President Donald Trump’s orders in January 2020.

Prosecutors say he held a leadership role within Kata’ib Hizbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, and was involved in planning and promoting at least 20 attacks in Europe and Canada, including bombings, arson and assaults targeting American communities and interests.

Al-Saadi allegedly tried to recruit someone to carry out attacks on Jewish sites in the U.S., but the individual was actually an undercover law enforcement officer who had been monitoring the alleged plot from the outset.

Prosecutors say he also discussed coordinated attacks targeting Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona, asking whether it would be possible to “set the three locations on fire at the same time,” according to CBS News.

Authorities say Al-Saadi allegedly proposed coordinating attacks on three locations at the same time in exchange for $10,000 in cryptocurrency, sent a $3,000 down payment and set April 6 as the planned date for the attacks.

He was later arrested in Turkey and transferred to FBI custody, which brought him to the U.S. on Thursday. Officials have not released details about how or exactly when the arrest took place.

Al-Saadi did not enter a plea in court Friday. A follow-up hearing in the case is scheduled for May 29.