New Jersey software developer, 45, was sleeper Hezbollah agent who planned to carry out terror attacks on famous US landmarks if Iran was bombed, court hears
- Alexei Saab allegedly worked for Hezbollah's Islamic Jihad Organization as a spy
- Investigators allege he planned to carry out attacks on famous U.S. landmarks if Iran were to be bombed and would photograph his potential targets
- The naturalized US citizen worked as a software engineer in New Jersey by day and as a terrorist operative by night, officials allege
- He faces numerous charges including conspiracy, supporting a foreign terrorist organization, citizenship application fraud and more
- Saab has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently on trial in NYC
A New Jersey software developer was a 'sleeper agent' for an Islamic terrorist group and planned to carry out attacks on famous landmarks if Iran was bombed, prosecutors say.
Alexei Saab, 45, of Morristown, worked for Hezbollah's Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO) from 2000 to 2005 as 'a terrorist and spy' scoping out potential terrorism targets in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C. and abroad, his trial heard Monday.
Prosecutors allege by day Saab worked for technology companies as an engineer, keeping up appearances as a 'normal' American citizen. But, at night, he allegedly gathered intelligence information on national landmarks, tunnels and bridges, and photographed his potential targets.
'On paper, he lived a normal life when in reality he was a sleeper agent for Hezbollah,' Assistant US Attorney Sam Adelsberg said during opening statements.
Saab has pleaded not guilty to charges including providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy, receiving military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization, unlawful procurement of citizenship to facilitate international terrorism and citizenship application fraud.
He is also facing a marriage fraud charge for allegedly marrying a co-conspirator in 2012 under false pretenses. Saab's lawyer did not contest that charge.
The most serious charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 25 years in prison, though the charges collectively carry potential penalties of over 100 years in prison.
Alexei Saab, 45, allegedly had a double identity as a 'sleeper agent' for an Islamic terrorist group and planned to carry out attacks on famous U.S. landmarks if Iran were to be bombed
'He was sent by Hezbollah to set up a sleeper cell right here in this city,' Adelsberg told the jury at the federal courthouse in Manhattan on Monday, according to The New York Post.
Saab was arrested in July 2019 after being questioned during 11 sessions over several weeks with FBI agents.
In court documents, investigators said Saab told agents he took photographs of buildings and locations including Quincy Market and the Prudential Center in Boston and the Capitol Building, Congress and the White House in Washington, D.C.
Adelsberg Saab researched many targets including Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, all three New York area airports, the Brooklyn, Triborough and George Washington bridges and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels connecting New Jersey to Manhattan, among other locations.
A video of Fenway Park baseball stadium in Boston was also recovered from one of Saab's electronic devices.
The prosecution alleged that as part of his work for the IJO, Saab would determine if the locations had 'soft spots' that the organization could exploit to cause the most damage if it were to attack a target.
He also indicated during interviews with investigators that he was 'on autopilot to collect intelligence at any opportunity' and would capture images as both a tourist and an operative for the group, according to his indictment.
Saab allegedly scoped out potential terrorism targets in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C. The picture he took identifying the US Capitol building as a potential target is shown
He allegedly gathered intelligence information on national landmarks, tunnels and bridges, and photographed his potential targets. A photograph he took for the IJO of NYC's George Washington Bridge is shown
Besides surveillance activities in the United States, Adelsberg said Saab also operated abroad after joining Hezbollah in 1996.
He said Saab tried to kill a man he later understood to be a suspected Israeli spy by pointing a weapon at the individual at close range, but the firearm jammed.
The alleged attempted murder took place in Turkey in 2005.
Saab's IJO training also highlighted how to take surveillance footage in an unsuspecting manner which included having people pose for photos in front of the object of surveillance, as seen above
A video of Fenway Park was also recovered from one of Saab's electronic devices. Officials believe the Boston sports center was a potential target
According to his indictment, Saab was recruited to the IJO as 'a component of Hizballah responsible for the planning and coordination of intelligence, counterintelligence, and terrorist activities on behalf of Hizballah outside of Lebanon.'
He reportedly joined in 1996 while he was a member of the Hizballah student organization at the University of Lebanon. He was introduced to an IJO handler during a study group.
However, he later transitioned to a role in external operations and 'received extensive training in IJO tradecraft, weapons, and military tactics, including how to construct bombs and other explosive devices'.
His training also highlighted how to take surveillance footage in an unsuspecting manner which included having people pose for photos in front of the object of surveillance.
Saab received extensive training in IJO tradecraft, weapons, and military tactics, including how to construct bombs and other explosive devices
In November 2000, he 'lawfully entered the United States using a Lebanese passport' and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in August 2008.
At that time he falsely affirmed that he was not associated with the terrorist organization, the indictment stated.
Saab, who most recently served as the director of IT for waste management company Covanta, also taught as an adjunct lecturer at Baruch College in New York City.
According to his LinkedIn account, he began teaching at the college in 2016 and offered instruction for masters students in 'IT Strategy for Managers' and 'Business and Data Modeling'.
It is not clear when he stopped working at Baruch College or Covanta as his profile has not been recently updated.
Also while living in the U.S., Saab was allegedly paid to get married in an attempt to get American citizenship for his spouse.
He reportedly married a French citizen in July 2012 and 'filed a petition seeking to obtain naturalized citizenship' for his spouse in march 2015. The spouse is said to have entered the U.S. on a student visa to attend college in Manhattan.
His lawyer has not contested the charges related to his alleged fraudulent marriage.
Saab was recruited by the terror organization as a college student in Lebanon and rose up the ranks, ultimately enlisting in the “external security organization,” or unit 910.
In the early 2000s, Hezbollah dispatched Saab and other “spies” to countries including the US — putting them in place to kill Americans if the US attacked Iran, the group’s main ally, he said.
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