N.J. software developer lived a double life as Hezbollah “sleeper agent”: Feds

Alexei Saab, a 45-year-old software developer faced trial in New York for the accusation of plotting to bomb. Here’s more on the Hezbollah sleeper agent.

All about Alexei Saab, the Hezbollah sleeper agent

Alexei Saab, a software developer in New Jersey lived a double life as a sleeper agent for Hezbollah, an Islamic militant group. According to federal prosecutors, he scouted terror targets in New York City. As per a New York Post report, Saab is a US citizen since 2008 and was arrested by the feds in 2019. Following his arrest, he was charged with several counts of offenses such as terrorism and allegedly providing materials for the organizations. On Monday, he faced trials in NYC for the accusation of plotting to bomb.

As per the Post report, the Hezbollah sleeper agent moved to the US in 2000 from Lebanon with a secret mission. In his opening statement, Sam Adelsberg, assistant US attorney noted that Saad kept his appearances as a regular. law-abiding US citizens while collecting information on bridges and tunnels. “He posed as a regular guy. In reality, he was a sleeper agent for Hezbollah, ready to strike,” stated Adelsberg. He added that instead of focusing on his day job, Saab was surveying FBI offices at 26 Federal Plaza and the lower Manhattan courthouse. He was also surveying Kennedy Airport and the Empire State Building. As per the report, Saab’s main goal was scoping out the target. So that the militant group “could kill Americans if Americans threatened Iran, Hezbollah’s main ally”.

More on the case

Additionally, according to the Prosecutor, Saab was allegedly compiling “details like, how buildings were constructed. How close one could get to a building to plant a bomb as part of an attack. And whether these buildings or landmarks had weaknesses or soft spots Hezbollah could exploit”. “This was information that Hezbollah would use to calculate the size of a bomb needed to attack a particular target. The information for determining the ideal location to place that bomb to maximize death and destruction” added the prosecutor.

However, Marlon Kirton, Saab’s lawyer stated that his client had cut ties with Hezbollah. Kirton added that his client ceased communication and all activities with Hezbollah in 2005. Additionally, he argued that Hezbollah never attacked US citizens in America. According to the defense attorney, the militant group recruited Saab amidst the regional conflict between Israel and Lebanon. If convicted on all counts, the ‘sleeper agent’ faces at least 12 years in jail. Feds charged Saab with citizenship fraud and for providing support to a terrorist group. He is also charged with fraudulent marriage, and receiving military training from a terrorist group among others.

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