An Iraqi citizen has been charged in the United States terrorism Crimes were linked to the march by prosecutors Shooting in front of the US Consulate in downtown Toronto in March.
U.S. prosecutors allege that Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi and others were behind the Toronto attack and a second attack on a synagogue in Canada, as well as coordinating nearly 20 attacks across Europe linked to an Iran-backed militant network.
The incident, which was deemed a national security case by Canadian authorities, sparked an extensive investigation by the RCMP.
A press release from the U.S. Department of Justice said 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 Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to a recently released US criminal complaint, prosecutors accuse Al-Saadi and others of planning, coordinating and taking responsibility for “at least 18 terrorist attacks across Europe” as well as “two additional attacks in Canada.”
The complaint specifically references a March 10, 2026, shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto in which police say two suspects exited 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, but no one was injured.
In the U.S. filing, FBI investigators allege that Al-Saadi discussed the Canadian attacks in recorded conversations with a confidential source.
According to the complaint, Al-Saadi allegedly confirmed that “our people” were behind attacks in Canada that targeted “the consulate and the Knesset,” which investigators said referred to the shooting at the consulate in Toronto and an attack on a synagogue.
The filing also alleges that Al-Saadi told the source that he “led multiple teams” and sought help in carrying out additional attacks in Canada and the United States.
The complaint alleges that Al-Saadi later explained how activists who carry out attacks in North America could be paid.
“In Europe we have our people; even in America, for example, the other day, and in Canada we have our people,” Al-Saadi allegedly said during a recorded April 1 call quoted in the filing.
The complaint describes attacks involving explosives, arson and stabbings in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, including attacks on synagogues, Jewish schools, embassies and financial institutions
In court on Friday, defense attorney Andrew Dallek argued that his client was being subjected to “political prosecution.”
“We wanted to convey to the court that it is very important for him that the court is aware that he is essentially subjected to political persecution 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 his transfer to U.S. custody, saying his client appeared to have been brought to the United States “without any extradition proceedings taking place abroad.”
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