Why Iran-trained terrorist wanted to kill Trump's daughter Ivanka

A terrorist trained by Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged to kill Ivanka in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military chief Qasem Soleimani in US drone strikes in 2020. The plot unravelled after Mohammad Baqer was arrested in Turkey recently and extradited to the US.

In Short

• Al-Saadi wanted to avenge killing of Iranian military chief Qasem Soleimani
• Soleimani was killed in US drone strikes in 2020 during Trump's 1st term
• Al-Saadi was arrested in Turkey on May 15 before being extradited to US

As the US launched an offensive against Iran, back home in Washington, a diabolical plot to assassinate President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka unravelled. Ivanka, who served as Trump's adviser during his first term, was targeted for assassination by a terrorist trained by Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to a report by The New York Post. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, who was recently extradited to the US after his arrest in Turkey on May 15, wanted to avenge the killing of his mentor in US strikes.

The 32-year-old Iraqi national had "pledged" to kill Ivanka in response to Trump, during his first term as US President, eliminating Iranian military chief Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in 2020. Soleimani, a shadowy figure who headed the IRGC's Quds Force, was killed in a drone strike near Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020.

THE PLOT TO KILL IVANKA TRUMP

Al-Saadi's pledge was not a bluff. During his arrest, he was found with a blueprint of Ivanka's Florida home, according to sources at The New York Post.

In 2021, Al-Saadi also posted on X a picture of a map showing the Florida enclave where Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, have a $24 million residence. With the picture, he also posted a chilling threat: "Revenge is a matter of time".

"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," the message, originally posted in Arabic, read.

In fact, after Soleimani was killed, Al-Saadi, who saw him as his guru, told his aides that he would "burn down the house of Trump".

"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 military official in the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, told The Post.

It is, however, not known why Al-Saadi planned to target Ivanka. Notably, the 44-year-old eldest daughter of Trump converted to orthodox Judaism in 2009 before her marriage to real estate tycoon Kushner. The couple have three children. Recently, Kushner, serving as a special envoy in the Trump 2.0 administration, has been involved in peace negotiations with Iran.

WHO IS DAWOOD AL-SAADI?

The startling revelation has put Al-Saadi and his criminal history into focus. Long in the US's crosshairs, Al-Saadi is believed to be the mastermind behind several attacks on US and Jewish targets, including the bombing of the Bank of New York Mellon in Amsterdam in March this year.

He was also allegedly involved in the stabbing of two Jews in London in April and a shooting at the US consulate building in Toronto this year, according to the US Department of Justice.

Not only Iran's IRGC, Al-Saadi was also an operative of Kata'ib Hizballah, an Iraqi Shia paramilitary group backed by Tehran. The Kata'ib Hizballah has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the US.

So, how did Al-Saadi become so close to Soleimani that he went to the extent of plotting to assassinate the US President's daughter? For that we need to look at his history and childhood.

Al-Saadi was born in Baghdad and was largely raised by his Iraqi mother. His father, Ahmad Kazemi, was an Iranian brigadier general.

At a very young age, he was sent to Tehran to train with the IRGC, which reports directly to the Supreme Leader and functions separately from the Iranian military. However, in 2006, tragedy stuck the family when Al-Saadi's father died.

Then, according to Qanbar, Soleimani became Al-Saadi's biggest support and guide. They eventually became close and Al-Saadi looked up to him as a father figure. The sudden death of Soleimani in US strikes left Al-Saadi shaken and that's when the plot to kill Ivanka started taking shape.

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