Is Iran Behind Attacks in Canada?

An Iraqi man, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, is at the center of a major U.S. terrorism case. Federal prosecutors allege he helped coordinate nearly 20 attacks across Europe and North America as an operative of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In a recorded conversation cited in the criminal complaint, Al-Saadi allegedly claimed members of his network carried out two attacks in Canada, including the shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto and an attack on a synagogue.

Host Noor Azrieh speaks with terrorism and intelligence expert Dr. Jessica Davis, former CSIS strategic analyst and president of Insight Threat Intelligence, about what we actually know, how state-backed proxy networks and terrorist financing operate, and whether there is credible evidence linking recent attacks on Canadian soil to Iran.

Host: Noor Azrieh

Credits: Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Annie Tuba (Producer), Imogen Sayers (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)

Guest: Jessica Davis

Photo: FBI

Background reading:

• CSIS increases operation to combat Iranian state-directed activity, warns of continued threats – The Globe and Mail
• Could this one man have been behind terrorist attacks on Jewish communities across Europe? – The Guardian
• 'Who's paying for this?': Toronto police believe youth hired for gun crimes such as U.S. consulate shooting – CBC News
• Are Iranian 'sleeper cells' a threat to Canadians? Here’s what intelligence experts say – CBC News
• United States of America v. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi

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