First daughter Ivanka Trump was reportedly an assassination target by an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-trained terrorist who made a “pledge” to kill her.
Recently captured Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi allegedly targeted President Trump’s daughter over a U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020, the New York Post reported.
“After Qasem was killed, [Al-Saadi] went around telling people, ‘We need to kill Ivanka to burn down the house of Trump the way he burned down our house,’” Entifadh Qanbar, a former deputy military attache in the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, told the Post.
Mr. Qanbar said Mr. Al-Saadi had a floor plan of Ms. Trump’s home in Florida, and the would-be assassin allegedly posted a map to social media showing where she and her husband, Jared Kushner, have a house, along with an Arabic message that read, “I say to the Americans look at this picture and know that neither your palaces nor the Secret Service will protect you. We are currently in the stage of surveillance and analysis. I told you, our revenge is a matter of time.”
The Justice Department unsealed charges against Mr. Al-Saadi earlier this month. The 32-year-old is a senior commander within the Iran-backed militant group Kataib Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization operating in Iraq that is closely aligned with the IRGC.
Arrested in Turkey, Mr. Al-Saadi was extradited to the U.S. and is facing six terrorism-related counts for a transnational campaign of nearly 20 attacks and attempted plots across North America and Europe. During his appearance in a Manhattan federal court on May 15, he was ordered detained pending trial. His defense attorney has characterized the case as a political prosecution.
Mr. Al-Saadi has called on others to attack and kill Americans, including in retribution for Soleimani’s death, according to the Justice Department.
Months after the killing of Soleimani, Mr. Al-Saadi posted to social media a picture of the crumbling U.S. Capitol projected against the faces of the general and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a former leader of Kataib Hezbollah killed in the same airstrike. The accompanying text read, “Our revenge for the martyred leaders is ongoing. No negotiations with the occupier.”
In February, Mr. Al-Saadi posted an Arabic message on social media that read in part, “Kill everyone who supports America and Israel.”
Ms. Trump, 44, converted to Orthodox Judaism in 2009, before her marriage to Mr. Kushner.
House Republicans said on social media that the foiled plot shows “Iran’s true colors. They hate America and they clearly see President Trump as the man standing between them and death to America. That’s why they’re targeting his daughter. It’s depraved.”
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