US Unveils Charges Against Three Iranians for Alleged Iran-Backed Terror Plots, Including Attack on British RAF Base

The United States has brought charges against three Iranian nationals suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in both Europe and the US. One alleged plot targeted a British RAF Base in Fairford, which in September was housing American military aircraft and personnel. The US Department of Justice unsealed an eight-count superseding indictment on Tuesday, naming Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national, and Mohammad Ali Al Hassani, an Iraqi national, for terrorism-related offenses.

According to the indictment, these individuals operated on behalf of an Iran-aligned network that includes Kataib Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both of which are designated terrorist organizations by Washington. Prosecutors claim that Mr. Al Hassani orchestrated the plot against RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire during September, enlisting associates in Britain to conduct surveillance of the base and arrange the logistics for an attempted attack.

Mr. Al Saadi is currently in US custody awaiting trial on separate terrorism charges in New York. However, the Justice Department alleges that he attempted to coordinate with Mr. Al Hassani and Mr. Mohajeri in Iran from jail by relaying coded messages through family members. He had been apprehended abroad in May and subsequently transferred to US custody to face the earlier charges.

FBI Director Kash Patel stated that this case underscores Iran's determination to carry out attacks in Europe and the US. "According to the indictment, one of the subjects is behind bars awaiting trial yet he allegedly sent coded messages to assist in future acts of violence," Mr. Patel commented. The updated charges encompass nearly 20 alleged terrorist attacks and attempted attacks, the department reported.

US Attorney General Todd Blanche affirmed in a statement, “Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American service members will be prosecuted by the United States government.” The US had previously evacuated B-1B bombers from the RAF Fairford airbase in western England following the arrest of a group of men in connection with an alleged terror plot targeting the site. The British government has since attributed responsibility for that incident to Iran.

Furthermore, the indictment connects the defendants to a series of attacks against Jewish communities in Europe during the spring of 2026. These incidents included acts of arson and explosives, as well as a near-fatal stabbing in London that left two Jewish men, one of whom was a dual US-British citizen, seriously injured.