US Charges Three Iran-Backed Suspects Over Nearly 20 Attacks, Including RAF Fairford Plot

United States authorities have charged three men accused of working with Iran-backed militant groups to plan nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the US, including an alleged plot targeting a British military airbase used by American forces.

The charges were announced on Tuesday, November 10, following the unsealing of an eight-count superseding indictment by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, New York.

The defendants were identified as Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national.

According to the US Department of Justice, the three allegedly supported Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iraqi armed group Kata’ib Hezbollah, both designated terrorist organisations by Washington.

Prosecutors said their alleged activities included attacks and attempted attacks targeting Jewish communities in Europe and the United States, as well as a September 2026 plot against RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, southwestern England.

The military base, which housed American military aircraft and personnel, became the focus of a security investigation after suspicious vehicles were spotted approaching the facility.

According to the indictment, al-Hassani allegedly directed associates in Britain to conduct surveillance around the base and organise logistics for the planned attack.

Prosecutors said the preparations involved procuring three white vans, barrels of fuel, chemical accelerants and metallic objects that could potentially be used as explosive shrapnel. The vehicles were reportedly disguised with commercial logos to make them appear to belong to delivery businesses.

On September 26, the associates allegedly attempted to drive the vans towards the military installation, but at least two encountered a security checkpoint and were prevented from proceeding along their intended route.

The following morning, British law enforcement recovered three vans and arrested their occupants.

One of the accused, al-Saadi, allegedly continued coordinating the activities from a New York detention facility, where he was being held over earlier terrorism-related charges.

Prosecutors claimed he used telephone conversations with his mother and sister in Iraq to relay coded messages to his alleged associates, including instructions intended to keep the Fairford operation moving.

The indictment also links the suspects to a wider campaign of violence involving arson attacks and other assaults against Jewish targets across Europe.

Among the incidents cited by American authorities were attacks on Jewish institutions in London, including a synagogue and a Jewish charity, as well as the stabbing of two Jewish men.

US Attorney General Todd Blanche said anyone involved in planning attacks against military installations housing American service members would face prosecution.

FBI Director Kash Patel also described the case as evidence of the threat posed by Iran-linked networks to the United States and its allies.

Only al-Saadi is currently in US custody, while the whereabouts of Mohajeri and al-Hassani were not disclosed by prosecutors.

The RAF Fairford incident had previously triggered a major security response in Britain, with six men arrested in connection with the suspected plot. The United States subsequently withdrew its B-1 bombers from the base.

Iran has strongly denied involvement in the incident.

The defendants face multiple terrorism-related charges, including conspiring to provide material support to designated terrorist organisations, attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries and conspiring to bomb a place of public use.

The US Justice Department said the indictment contains allegations, and all three defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.