Arrest of Iraqi terror suspect with alleged links to Iran’s Quds Force is astonishing but not surprising

The arrest by US authorities of an alleged Iraqi commander of an Iranian-backed militia group now accused of responsibility for 18 terrorist attacks in the UK, Europe and Canada since the beginning of the Iran war is an astonishing development – yet not the least bit surprising. According to a complaint unsealed on Friday in a federal court in Manhattan, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi is allegedly responsible for organising – among other operations – a string of recent firebombings of banks and other targets in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, an arson attack against a synagogue and a shooting at the US consulate in Toronto in March, as well as – most recently – a wave of attacks on mainly Jewish targets in the UK including places of worship and charities. Most notably perhaps, al-Saadi, 32, is accused of involvement in the stabbing of two Jewish men in north London in April. The detailed complaint provides no details of the London attack but cites recorded conversations between al-Saadi and an FBI informant and an undercover FBI agent, in which he appeared to have referred to operations in Europe while trying to set up new attacks on Jewish targets in the US. Al-Saadi also allegedly posted claims of responsibility for attacks on Snapchat and Telegram in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), a supposed Islamist militant group, the complaint said. He was reportedly detained in Turkey, though the details are unclear. …