Ivanka Trump targeted by IRGC-trained terrorist plotting revenge for Soleimani
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, was allegedly targeted by a terrorist trained by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who reportedly sought to avenge the January 2020 killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a US airstrike in Baghdad. The suspect, a 32-year-old Iraqi national identified as Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, was arrested in Turkey on 15 May 2025 and subsequently extradited to the United States.
What Al-Saadi Allegedly Planned
According to the New York Post, Al-Saadi allegedly 'swore' to kill Ivanka Trump and had obtained a floor plan of her Florida residence. He reportedly declared that 'killing Ivanka would mean burning Trump's house as he burned ours,' according to sources cited by the newspaper.
Al-Saadi also allegedly posted a map of the residential area where Ivanka lives with her husband, Jared Kushner, on social media, accompanied by threats in Arabic directed at the Trump family and US intelligence agencies.
The Suspect's Background and IRGC Links
According to Entifadh Qanbar, a former military attaché at the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, Al-Saadi grew up in Baghdad and was trained in Iran by the IRGC following the death of his father, Iranian General Ahmad Kazemi. He is considered close to the Shiite militias Kata'ib Hezbollah and the IRGC.
Qanbar further claims that Al-Saadi used a purported religious travel agency as cover to travel internationally and forge connections with extremist cells. He was reportedly active on social media, posting images of Iranian military symbols and expressions of support for Soleimani.
Scope of Alleged Attacks Across Two Continents
The US Department of Justice has accused Al-Saadi of coordinating or planning at least 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and North America targeting US and Jewish interests. Among the incidents cited are the throwing of Molotov cocktails at the Bank of New York Mellon in Amsterdam, the stabbing of two Jewish citizens in London, and a shooting at the US consulate in Toronto. Federal authorities also link him to arson attacks against Jewish places of worship in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Current Status and Detention
Al-Saadi is currently held in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York. His extradition from Turkey marks a significant law enforcement cooperation milestone in tracking IRGC-linked operatives operating across multiple continents.
This development comes amid heightened US scrutiny of alleged Iranian-backed plots against American officials and citizens, a pattern that has intensified since the Soleimani strike. The case underscores growing concern within US security agencies about IRGC-affiliated networks using diaspora communities and front organisations to plan attacks on Western soil.