US Charges Three Iran-Backed Operatives Over Nearly 20 Attacks, Including Planned NY Synagogue Attack
The US Department of Justice announced indictments against three terror operatives who acted on behalf of Iran and were involved in a series of attacks against Jewish communities and other targets in Europe and the US, including a planned attack on a synagogue in New York • Full Story
The United States Department of Justice announced indictments against three terror operatives accused of acting on behalf of Iran and of involvement in a series of attacks and attempted attacks against Jewish communities and other targets in Europe and the United States. Among the plots attributed to them are an attempt to bomb a British Air Force base where American soldiers are also stationed, and a planned attack on a synagogue in New York.
The defendants, Muhammed Baqr Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammed Ali al-Hassani, are suspected of belonging to a terror network that carried out or attempted to carry out nearly 20 attacks on behalf of the Kataib Hezbollah organization and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, both designated as terror organizations in the United States.
According to the federal prosecution, the network stood behind a wave of attacks against Jewish targets in Europe since the outbreak of the war with Iran. Among the incidents attributed to it are the stabbing of two Jewish men in London and the throwing of a molotov cocktail at a synagogue in the city.
Investigators say the defendants followed the execution of the attacks through real-time video calls, and later distributed propaganda videos documenting the attacks.
As part of the network’s activity, an attack on a synagogue in New York was also allegedly planned. In addition, the defendants are suspected of involvement in an attempt to attack Britain’s Fairford Air Force Base, which is also used by the American forces stationed in the UK.
Al-Saadi, against whom an indictment was already filed in May for conspiring to provide material support to Iran-backed terror organizations, is suspected of continuing to direct terror operatives even after he was imprisoned in New York.
According to documents filed by the prosecution on Tuesday, al-Saadi maintained contact with Mohajeri, an Iranian citizen, and with al-Hassani, an Iraqi citizen, through “encrypted messages passed through third parties.”
Al-Saadi is being held in federal custody in New York, while the other two defendants have not yet been arrested, two sources familiar with the details of the investigation told CBS News.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear that the American authorities will act to bring to justice those involved in planning attacks against American military personnel, even when it involves military facilities outside the borders of the United States.
“Anyone who plans a terror attack on a military base where American soldiers are stationed will be brought to justice by the government of the United States,” Blanche said in a statement.
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