An individual accused of orchestrating anti-Semitic assaults in the United Kingdom through FaceTime reportedly had a meeting with the top leader of Iran shortly before his demise.
According to US court documents, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi allegedly utilized Apple’s FaceTime application to coordinate several arson attacks on Jewish sites in London and counterattacks against Western entities.
The US indictment, as per the Sunday Times, states, “Saadi had a close relationship with Khamenei.” It further reveals that around three days before the onset of the Iranian military conflict leading to Khamenei’s death, Saadi had a meeting with Khamenei in Iran.
Khamenei’s demise occurred during US strikes on Iran in February. Western intelligence officials have deemed the reports of Saadi meeting Khamenei shortly before the conflict as credible.
US authorities have charged Saadi with planning a minimum of 18 assaults in the UK and Europe. The Department of Justice alleges that Saadi attempted to carry out attacks in the US, including targeting a synagogue in New York, during March and April this year.
Saadi was apprehended the day after allegedly trying to enlist an individual he believed was a member of a Mexican drug cartel, which turned out to be an undercover FBI agent.
He was arrested in Turkey this month and transferred to New York by the FBI on May 14.
The indictment against Saadi includes eight charges, accusing him of recruiting criminals to execute attacks for Iran in exchange for cryptocurrency.
Saadi reportedly waived his right to legal representation after his arrest and admitted to having high-level connections to the FBI. He claimed to have a close relationship with the former leader of the IRGC, Qasem Soleimani, likening it to being “like a son” to him.
Saadi’s US lawyer, Andrew Dalack, stated that Saadi requested to be treated as a “prisoner of war.”
The 35-page indictment suggests that Saadi oversaw operations from a bunker in Iraq, coordinating attacks that were part of a strategy of “psychological warfare” orchestrated by groups sympathetic to the Iranian regime.
The arrest followed an attack where the Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) claimed responsibility for setting ambulances on fire in Golders Green.
Prosecutors assert that HAYI is a front for Kata’ib Hezbollah, a potent Iraqi militia supported by Iran’s IRGC. A copy of the HAYI “charter” was discovered on Saadi’s phone post-capture.
The indictment also alleges that Saadi instructed an associate to post a stabbing video on HAYI’s social media platforms, although the incident did not occur as reported.
Saadi purportedly mentioned a potential shooting at a restaurant to the same associate.
HAYI also claimed responsibility for a stabbing incident in Golders Green, with police viewing the claims as opportunistic.
After the Golders Green stabbing, the UK Government heightened the terror threat level from “substantial” to “severe,” indicating a high likelihood of an attack.
The decision was made by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, with the Home Office attributing the rise in the terror threat level to a surge in Islamist and extreme right-wing threats in the UK.
Moreover, there has been an increase in state-linked threats encouraging violence, particularly against the Jewish community.
The Home Office has been contacted for a statement by The Mirror.