New Jersey Man Scouts American Landmarks For Hezbollah; Arrested On Terrorism Charges
He was also a college professor.
LinkedIn Baruch College professor Alexi Saab, 42, was charged with nine offenses after ties were found with the Uranian terrorist group, Hezbollah, where he provided help plotting terrorist attacks on New York City landmarks.
“Saab was inducted into the gang in 1996 as a spy and later received “extensive” training in weapons and explosives, according to the criminal complaint,” Heavy reported. During his time as a spy, he monitored dozens of New York landmarks to scout structural “soft spots” which would allow for future attacks against the United States.
He provided photographs and descriptions of structures including the UN headquarters, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Empire State Building and airports, tunnels and bridges.
“Such covert activities conducted on U.S. soil are a clear threat to our national security and I applaud the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation and prosecution,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, in a Department of Justice news release.
According to Heavy, “Saab has been in custody since his July arrest. He was charged Thursday with nine offenses related to his involvement in Hezbollah and a separate marriage-fraud allegation.”
Who Is Alexei Saab?
1. Saab worked as a spy for the Hezbollah for 23 years.
According to Heavy, in an unsealed complaint, “from 1996 through March 2019, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, Saab helped provide ‘material support or resources’ to a ‘designated foreign terrorist organization.’”
2. He was an adjunct professor for three years at Baruch College.
According to The New York Post, he “taught graduate courses in IT strategy, computer information systems and business data modeling.” According to ratemyprofessor.com, students rated him a as a tough grader.
3. Saab has also been accused of marriage fraud.
Saab was paid to marry a French citizen so she could obtain U.S. citizenship. She initially obtained an F1 student visa to attend a Manhattan college. According to the indictment, In July 2012, Saab “married another individual (CC-1) so that CC-1 could apply for naturalized citizenship in the United States based on their marriage,” the release says. “On March 13, 2015, Saab and CC-1 jointly filed a petition seeking to obtain naturalized citizenship for CC-1. In doing so, Saab and CC-1 falsely claimed under penalty of perjury that their marriage was “not for the purpose of procuring an immigration benefit.”
4. The Hezbollah organization has killed hundreds of people and conducted several terrorist attacks.
According to Heavy, “The group has been responsible for terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of people, including United States citizens and military personnel. Hizballah has been a designated terrorist organization since 1997.”
5. Saab was trained as a spy to scout structural “soft spots” for an easy attack.
According to Heavy, “Training involved an AK-47, M16 rifle, and pistol. The indictment says that a handler provided Saab with a method of electronic communication to reach him in the United States. If Hizballah needed him to return to Lebanon, he would receive an email that would appear to be spam but would contain a coded signal. He was also given a phone number with a numeric code.”
6. Fellow lecturers at Baruch College have described the hiring process as careless and disorganized.
When describing the vetting process, one Brooklyn College professor said, “You’ll look in your pile of résumés that you have in your desk, or you’ll call some friends,” the New York Post reported.
7. Saab could face up to 30+ years in prison.
According to the Department of Justice, Saab could face up to 20 years of prison time for providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and providing material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He could also face a max sentence of up to 25 years for marriage fraud conspiracy.
Elizabeth Ward is a writing student finishing her bachelor’s at the University of Louisville. She covers news, entertainment, relationships and everything in between.