Lawyers for Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, accused of helping direct attacks in Europe, have asked a U.S. judge to ease limits on his communications from detention as his terrorism case proceeds.
In an Aug. 25 filing, the defense said special administrative measures imposed June 25 restrict his contact to his attorneys, mother and two sisters. The lawyers asked the judge to lift or modify the measures. They called the measures and the indefinite solitary confinement they say accompanies them “cruel and excessive.”
The Justice Department announced an eight-count indictment against Al-Saadi on May 28 and described him as a dual Iranian-Iraqi national. Prosecutors allege he helped plan or direct about 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe. They also accuse him of pursuing attacks on U.S. targets in March and April. Al-Saadi is presumed innocent.
A federal criminal complaint alleges that, on or about April 3, Al-Saadi sent an undercover officer photos and maps showing a New York synagogue and two Jewish centers, in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona. Prosecutors cite that exchange in their account of his alleged efforts to arrange attacks in the United States.
Prosecutors identify Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya as the name used for the European attacks. They allege it was a front for Kata’ib Hizballah and other U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations. The Justice Department also alleges Al-Saadi coordinated with Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Justice Department says the alleged attacks followed a U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on or about Feb. 28. It says civilian sites, including Jewish institutions, were among the targets. Those claims are part of the prosecution’s case, not findings of guilt.
The defense also argues that Al-Saadi should receive prisoner-of-war protections, a position the lawyers say the U.S. government disputes. Its Aug. 25 filing asks the judge to lift or modify the communication restrictions.
