US charges Iraqi national with plots to target Jews in cities from London to Los Angeles
The US Justice Department has charged Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi with directing others to attack Jewish communities in cities from London to Los Angeles. The indictment says the plotted actions were intended as retaliation for the Iran war. The case stands out as a test of transatlantic intelligence cooperation.
According to the BBC, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi is accused of "directing and urging" others to attack US and Israeli interests. The Justice Department said the planned actions were intended as retaliation for the Iran war. The indictment includes city-by-city target lists and identifies Jewish communities as the focus.
The case rests on intelligence sharing between the US and the UK. London's Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism unit said it has been working with US federal authorities. German and French intelligence services are also contributing to the investigation, looking at potential European connections. The indictment was filed at a federal court in New York.
The development underlines how the international monitoring of threats against Jewish institutions has risen since the start of the Iran war. Synagogue security has been kept at high levels in major European cities for years; the new case is likely to update the threat map used by police units. The defendant is expected to be assigned counsel and given a hearing date in the days ahead.
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