Alleged commander of an Iran-backed militia in Iraq accused of plotting attacks against Jewish sites

An alleged commander of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia that is a proxy for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was charged with plotting to attack a synagogue in New York City, among other Jewish sites in the U.S.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed on Friday, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi was planning at least 18 attacks in Europe and Canada since late February, according to the New York Times. 

The attacks were to be in retaliation for the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, the complaint says. He was also allegedly planning to kill Americans in other attacks in Los Angeles and New York City. 

Dawood al-Saadi is expected to be presented in federal court in Manhattan on Friday.