An Iraqi national allegedly linked to Iran-backed militant networks plotted to assassinate Ivanka Trump in retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, according to a report published by the New York Post.
The report identified the suspect as Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a 32-year-old Iraqi national allegedly associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kata’ib Hezbollah.
According to the report, Al-Saadi was arrested in Turkey on May 15 and later extradited to the United States, where he now faces charges linked to multiple attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and North America.
Sources quoted by the publication claimed Al-Saadi viewed the killing of Soleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020 as a deeply personal matter and allegedly vowed revenge against the family of former US President Donald Trump.
“After Qasem was killed, he [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,'” former Iraqi diplomat and military attaché Entifadh Qanbar told the publication.
Qanbar also claimed the suspect allegedly possessed a blueprint or map linked to Ivanka Trump’s Florida residence, which she shares with husband Jared Kushner. A second source cited in the report confirmed the alleged assassination plot.
The report further alleged that Al-Saadi shared a map on social media showing the Florida enclave where Ivanka Trump and Kushner own a luxury property. The post allegedly included a threatening message in Arabic claiming that “neither your palaces nor the Secret Service will protect you” and warning that revenge was “a matter of time.”
Neither the White House nor representatives for Ivanka Trump publicly commented on the claims mentioned in the report.
According to the US Department of Justice, Al-Saadi has been charged in connection with 18 attacks and attempted attacks targeting American and Jewish-linked sites.
The allegations include involvement in the firebombing of the Bank of New York Mellon building in Amsterdam, a stabbing attack involving Jewish victims in London, and a shooting incident targeting the US consulate building in Toronto.
Investigators also accused him of helping coordinate attacks against synagogues and religious centres in parts of Europe amid rising tensions linked to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Federal authorities further alleged that Al-Saadi planned or supported additional attacks in the United States that were ultimately foiled by security agencies.
The report stated that investigators believe he operated as a senior figure within Iraq-Iran militant circles and maintained links with networks supported by the IRGC.
Middle East analyst Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Senior Fellow at the Washington-based New Lines Institute, told the New York Post that Al-Saadi allegedly maintained close ties with senior Iranian military officials, including Esmail Qaani, who succeeded Soleimani as commander of the Quds Force.
Tsurkov herself was kidnapped in Baghdad in 2023 and was reportedly held hostage by Kata’ib Hezbollah before being released in 2025.
According to the report, she said she could not confirm whether Al-Saadi was personally involved in her abduction because the captors had concealed their identities.
The report further claimed that Al-Saadi had trained with the IRGC in Tehran after growing up in Baghdad and later established an international travel business that allegedly enabled him to move freely across several countries.
Former diplomat Qanbar alleged that the travel agency was used as a cover to develop links with militant cells and coordinate activities internationally.
Investigators also claimed that Al-Saadi travelled using an Iraqi service passport, a document generally issued to government officials and civil servants, which allegedly allowed him easier international access and facilitated visa approvals.
Despite allegedly being connected to extremist networks, Al-Saadi reportedly maintained an active social media presence.
Posts cited in court filings and media reports allegedly showed him posing near major tourist landmarks including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
Other images reportedly showed him standing beside missiles and military-style equipment.
Federal court documents referenced by the publication allegedly include photographs of Al-Saadi meeting Soleimani at what appeared to be a military facility.
One social media post from August 2020, shared months after Soleimani’s killing, allegedly featured an image of the Iranian commander alongside another militant figure killed in the same drone strike.
According to court documents, the caption read: “I will leave social media and turn off all my phones until the American enemy is defeated … victory or martyrdom.”
The suspect is currently being held in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as legal proceedings continue in the United States.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed whether additional charges related specifically to the alleged plot targeting Ivanka Trump are expected to be filed.
