ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq -The US government on Friday announced the arrest of a senior member of Iraq’s pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah suspected of “global terrorism” for his involvement in at least 20 attacks against US and Israeli interests in Europe, Canada, and the United States.

Mohammed al-Saadi “and his associates allegedly planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and in Canada – and were believed to be targeting the United States for upcoming attacks including Jewish institutions in New York, California, and Arizona,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X.

Kataib Hezbollah is a prominent pro-Iran Shiite militia in Iraq which has targeted US interests in the region during the war with Iran that started in late February.

“Saadi is a commander for Kataib Hizballah, a US designated FTO [Foreign Terrorist Organization] operating in Iraq that is closely aligned with the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp],” the Justice Department said in a statement.

The militiaman was also allegedly close to Iranian top commander Qasem Soleimani and former deputy chief of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis who were killed in a US airstrike directly ordered by President Donald Trump during his first term.

“On or about July 2, 2020, for example, al-Saadi published on one of his social media accounts the following image of the US capitol in rubbles projected against the faces of Soleimani and al-Muhandis, with the text ‘our revenge for the martyred leaders is ongoing.  No negotiations with the occupier,’” the Justice Department said.

He is also accused of urging others to attack US and Israeli interests in recent months, “including by killing Americans and Jews.”

“As alleged, over the last several months, al-Saadi and his associates have planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe (the “European Terrorist Attacks”), as well as two additional attacks in Canada,” the statement added.

The Trump administration has repeatedly called on Iraq to curb Iranian influence, pushing Baghdad to dissolve all armed factions, including the state-integrated PMF.

In recent weeks, the US Treasury Department has placed several bounties of up to $10 million for information on multiple Iraqi militia leaders, and sanctioned them.