An Iraqi citizen accused in the United States of tERRORISM the crimes were linked by the prosecutors to March shooting outside the US consulate in downtown Toronto in March.
US prosecutors allege Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi and others were behind the Toronto attack, as well as a second attack targeting a synagogue in Canada, while also coordinating about 20 attacks across Europe linked to an Iranian-backed militant network.
The incident, which was considered by Canadian authorities as a national security case, prompted a heavy investigation by the RCMP.
A statement released by the US Department of Justice reveals that Al-Saadi appeared in a New York courtroom on Friday after being charged with six terrorism-related offenses related to his alleged role as a senior member of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to a newly unsealed US criminal complaint, prosecutors allege that Al-Saadi and others “planned, coordinated and claimed responsibility” for at least 18 terrorist attacks across Europe, along with “two more attacks in Canada.”
The complaint specifically refers to a March 10, 2026, shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto, where police said two suspects got out of a white Honda CR-V, fired shots into the building and fled the scene.
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Toronto police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said shell casings and damage were found at the downtown building, although no one was injured.
In the US filing, FBI investigators allege that Al-Saadi discussed the Canadian attacks during recorded phone calls with a confidential source.
According to the complaint, Al-Saadi allegedly confirmed that “our people” were behind the attacks in Canada targeting the “consulate and the Knesset,” which investigators say referred to the Toronto consulate shooting and an attack on a synagogue.
The document also claims Al-Saadi told the source he was “leading multiple teams” and asked for help to carry out additional attacks in Canada and the United States.
The complaint alleges that Al-Saadi later explained how operatives carrying out attacks in North America could be paid.
“In Europe, we have our boys; also in America, for example, the other day, and in Canada we have our boys,” Al-Saadi is alleged to have said during a recorded call on April 1 cited in the filing.
The complaint details attacks involving explosives, arson and stabbings in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, including attacks targeting synagogues, Jewish schools, embassies and financial institutions.
Outside court on Friday, defense lawyer Andrew Dallek argued that his client is being subjected to “political persecution”.
“We wanted to communicate to the court that it is very important for him that the court is aware that he is essentially being subjected to a political prosecution and that he is a prisoner of war and should be treated as such,” Dallek told reporters.
Dallek also questioned the circumstances surrounding Al-Saadi’s arrest in Turkey and transfer to US custody, saying his client was brought to the United States “without any extradition proceedings abroad.”
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