US Charges Three Alleged Iranian-Backed Operatives in Plot Targeting UK Air Base and European Attacks

Prosecutors in the United States have indicted three men described as Iranian-backed operatives for their alleged involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across the US and Europe. A significant plot targeted the United Kingdom’s Fairford air base.

The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that the three men acted in support of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah. The individuals identified are Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri, and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, who face charges labeled as “terrorism-related offenses.” Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi is currently detained in New York, while the whereabouts of Mohajeri and al-Hassani were not disclosed by prosecutors.

The charges unveiled on Tuesday primarily focus on RAF Fairford in southwest England, a base that had housed US forces and bombers. The US had utilized this base for deploying bombers during its conflict with Iran. In September, police were alerted to the Fairford site after a local farmer reported observing a group of men with several white vans engaged in “suspicious” activity. Six men were initially arrested in connection with this incident and subsequently released on bail. Two of these individuals were later re-arrested on suspicion of aiding Iran’s intelligence service and were charged under the National Security Act. Iran has vehemently denied any involvement in this incident.

Days following the farmer's report, the US withdrew all of its B-1 bombers from Fairford. According to a US charging document, al-Hassani, a 35-year-old Iraqi national, instructed others to drive to the base in vans, some of which were carrying barrels of fuel. Prosecutors allege that he had previously paid the group to acquire metal objects suitable for shrapnel and to disguise the vans as fuel delivery vehicles.

Prosecutors stated that al-Saadi, 32, who holds both Iranian and Iraqi citizenship, conveyed coded messages to al-Hassani and Mohajeri, a 48-year-old Iranian, to coordinate the plot. They claim al-Saadi communicated these messages through phone calls to his mother and sister in Iraq, employing coded language.

“These defendants helped orchestrate a campaign of terror on behalf of terrorist organizations affiliated with Iran that targeted Jewish communities in Europe and the United States, and the British military base, RAF Fairford, housing American service members,” stated Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald. “The threat presented by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and our allies is not hypothetical – it is very real.”

Iran has not yet provided an immediate comment on the charges. US authorities had previously detailed charges against al-Saadi in May, accusing him of directing others to attack US, Israeli, and Jewish targets and to kill Americans, in retaliation for the US-Israel war on Iran. These alleged attacks included the non-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London in April and arson attacks on synagogues, Israeli businesses, and Jewish schools in other parts of Europe. Al-Saadi has been in US custody since May. In June, he pleaded not guilty to those charges, referring to himself as a “prisoner of war.” He has been held without bail since his arrest.

The indictment announced on Tuesday added his alleged role in the Fairford plot and brought charges against the other two men. Flight-tracking data from Tuesday indicated that the US military had removed at least a dozen aircraft from a second UK airbase, RAF Mildenhall, following what the Wall Street Journal reported as a threat from Iran.