ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The head of Iraq’s Bani Saad tribe on Saturday sent a letter to top Iraqi officials condemning the arrest of a senior Kataib Hezbollah commander overseas by US federal agents, calling for his release and the opening of a case with the International Court of Justice, as well as warning of widespread protests if their demands are not met.

On Friday, the US government announced the arrest of Mohammed al-Saadi, 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.

Saadi was seen arriving in the US in federal custody, having been charged in New York on a host of terror offenses "for his activities as an operative of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," the FBI said.

"In the span of just three months, Mohammad al-Saadi allegedly directed 18 terrorist attacks throughout Europe—including against United States citizens and interests—and planned to conduct a similar attack here in our country," said Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's New York field office, James Barnacle.

In pictures: Mohammed al-Saadi, a commander in Iraq's pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah militia, has been charged with "global terrorism" offenses in the US after he was arrested overseas by US federal agents pic.twitter.com/gLWuTAWfpm

— The New Region (@thenewregion) May 16, 2026

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.

The Shiite sheikh and leader of Bani Saad tribe, Mazhar Atallah Hussein Alwan al-Saad, in a letter addressed to top Iraqi officials, condemned the arrest of Saadi, describing it as the “shameful act of arresting one of our tribesmen in Turkey.”

The missive was directed to the Iraqi president, the prime minister, the head of the intelligence service, the Iraqi ambassadors to Turkey and the United States, as well as political blocs.

“We consider this a blatant violation of the sovereignty of Iraq, its land and its people,” the senior Bani Saad leader said, adding that “We demand that you take swift action to return our son, Mohammed Baqir al-Saadi, to his homeland.”

The leader also demanded that “a lawsuit to be filed” in the International Court of Justice against those who orchestrated the arrest, warning that “otherwise, demonstrations will be launched by all members of the Bani Saad tribe in Iraq demanding the release of their son.”

“We will not back down from this until our demands are met,” al-Saadi added. 

Bani Saad is a large Arab tribe with branches across several parts of Iraq, particularly in the country's southern provinces. 

The tribe is predominantly Shiite, especially in Diyala province. Bani Saad is considered one of the prominent Arab tribes with branches also spread across other Arab countries in the region.

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.

The administration of US President Donald Trump 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.