US charges alleged Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah commander in New York
The US Justice Department has arrested and charged an Iraqi national described as a senior commander of the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah group in New York. The indictment includes planning attacks against US personnel and weapons trafficking. The move lands at a fragile moment for the Tehran-Washington diplomatic channel.
The US Justice Department arrested an Iraqi national as he tried to enter the country through John F. Kennedy Airport, alleging that he is a senior commander of the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah group. The federal indictment claims the defendant led the planning of attacks against US personnel in Syria and Iraq and ran a weapons-trafficking network.
The case was filed in the federal Eastern District of New York court. The defence attorney said his client worked as a logistics manager at a civilian holding company in Baghdad and that the charges do not reflect reality. The reason the detainee was trying to enter the United States has not yet been disclosed publicly.
The Washington move came shortly after Tehran said last week that it remained open to talks with the United States. Iran's foreign ministry called the arrest 'politically motivated'. The White House said the case and the diplomatic channel are 'independent of each other'.
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