The Department of Justice announced on Friday that an Iraqi national and senior member of the designated terrorist organization Kata’ib Hizballah has been arrested and charged with six counts of terrorism-related offenses for actions that include his alleged involvement in 20 attacks and attempted attacks in the United States and Europe. 

The conspiring to bomb a place of public use count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, while the conspiring to provide material support counts and the attempted destruction count carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and the remaining two counts carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. 

Al-Saadi is a commander for Kata’ib Hizballah, which operates in Iraq and is closely aligned with the IRGC, the DOJ said. Al-Saadi is alleged to have worked closely with IRGC-QF commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in an airstrike during the first Trump administration. He is also alleged to have called on others to attack and kill Americans in retribution for the deaths of Soleimani and Kata’ib Hizballah leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed in the same airstrike. 

In one post to social media, made in July of 2020, Al-Saadi posted an image of the US Capitol building in ruins with the faces of Soleimani and al-Muhandis above it, along with the text “our revenge for the martyred leaders is ongoing. No negotiations with the occupier.”

More recently, Al-Saadi is alleged to have directed others to attack Americans and Jews. One social media post from February 2026 read in part, “Do not abandon the blood of your Imam of the time, oh Shiites of Iraq. Kill everyone who supports America and Israel.  Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.”

He and his associates are alleged to have planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe, as well as two attacks in Canada, in the name of a Hizballah component, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya. Al-Saadi posted the same day as the first of the string of European terror attacks, March 9, 2026, calling on “warriors of Islam” to engage in “jihad.” Al-Saadi allegedly posted a video about a March 15, 2026 attack on an American bank in the Netherlands the day after it took place, in which Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility. A message read, “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful This is the Final Warning[.]  To all the peoples of the world, especially in the European Union, Immediately distance yourselves [] from all American and Zionist interests, facilities, and what is affiliated with them.”

Similar attacks took place throughout March and April, with Al-Saadi allegedly posting videos in which Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility. He is also accused of attempting to coordinate and carry out terror attacks to kill people in the United States, including targeting Jewish institutions in New York City. He spoke with a person who was revealed to be an undercover law enforcement officer on April 3, texting planning documents to the officer for plots that would take place in New York City, Los Angeles, and Arizona.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “Thanks to the dedication and vigilance of law enforcement, this alleged terrorist commander is now in U.S. custody. As alleged in the complaint, Al-Saadi directed and urged others to attack U.S. and Israeli interests and to kill Americans and Jews in the U.S. and abroad, and in doing so advance the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. These charges show American law enforcement will never let such evil go unchecked and will use all tools to disrupt and dismantle foreign terrorist organizations and their leaders.”