Iranian-linked operative accused of directing UK antisemitic attacks from jail
Mohammad al-Saadi, alleged to be behind antisemitic attacks in London, is using coded prison calls and $1m transfers to direct proxies, US authorities say
The Iranian operative accused of masterminding a wave of antisemitic attacks in Britain has reportedly continued to plot a terrorism campaign from behind bars, according to warnings from US authorities.
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi is suspected of operating Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (Hayi), which is described as a front for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and believed to be behind nearly 20 attacks across Europe in less than three months.
Hayi has been linked to half a dozen arson attacks on Jewish ambulances and synagogues in London during March and April this year, as well as a drone attack on the Israeli embassy and the Golders Green stabbings, all in April.
According to The Times, US authorities allege that Saadi, 32, is using “coded language” in telephone calls from prison to instruct others to carry out “work” and has directed money transfers worth more than $1 million.
The newspaper also obtained documents showing the FBI accuses Saadi of overseeing the release of propaganda videos to inspire others to his “violent ideology and psychological warfare.”
Saadi, who had a close relationship with senior Iranian officials, was arrested in Turkey in May and extradited to the United States, where he faces eight charges of terrorism.
.Saadi, who is expected to face trial next summer, has challenged the special administrative measures he is subject to in detention, including near-solitary confinement and restricted contact with family.
The authorities say the measures are necessary to stop him engaging in terrorism. He has also complained of being “illegally captured,” of not being given Arabic reading materials, and about the quality of the halal food in detention.
Federal Defenders of New York, his lawyers, said: “By keeping Mr al-Saadi in extreme solitary confinement and aggressively curtailing his access to information, the government is violating his rights under the constitution and the third Geneva Convention. We will continue to vigorously challenge these inhumane conditions.”