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US charges 3 alleged Iran operatives for targeting RAF Fairford in UK, 20 other terror plots
The indictment alleges the men acted for Iran’s IRGC and Kata’ib Hizballah; British officials have attributed the plot to Iran.
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The United States has charged three men with terrorism-related offences linked to almost 20 actual and attempted attacks across the US and Europe. The charges also cover an alleged September 2026 plot targeting a British Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Fairford, UK, which was housing American military aircraft and personnel.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an updated eight-count indictment accusing three men of terrorism-related offences: Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national. Prosecutors allege the trio operated on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kata’ib Hizballah, both designated as foreign terrorist organisations by the US.
“Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American service members will be prosecuted by the United States government,” US Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “The defendants listed in the indictment allegedly supported two foreign terrorist organisations, and al-Saadi allegedly coordinated with his co-defendants in the days leading up to the attempted terrorist plot.” He added.
Al-Saadi coordinated attacks from prison
Deep Dive
Despite being in US federal custody, al-Saadi allegedly continued coordinating terrorist activities through coded messages passed to his associates via family members in Iraq.
Prosecutors said he used phone calls with his mother and sister to communicate with Mohajeri and al-Hassani, referring to terrorist activities as 'work'. In a 24 September conversation, he allegedly instructed his family to give al-Hassani money, saying, "so we can do it".
Three days later, British authorities recovered three vans near RAF Fairford and arrested their occupants.
What happened at RAF Fairford?
A major security incident was declared at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, Britain, where several men were arrested on suspicion of explosives-related offences on September 27. Three suspicious, petrol-laden vans near the perimeter of RAF Fairford were stopped by counter-terrorism officers.
Following this, the US withdrew its B-1B bombers from RAF Fairford. British officials have since attributed the incident to Iran. The UK said it has “strong indications” that Iran played a part in a security incident with Prime Minister Andy Burnham also saying that the inquiry remains a complex and serious police investigation, and gave no details on the evidence behind the assessment.
Tehran has strongly denied any involvement.
Last month, the Pentagon confirmed that all B-1B bombers deployed to RAF Fairford had been pulled back following an investigation into the suspected plot and reports of a new, unspecified threat, with additional US aircraft also recently relocated from another British airbase.
RAF Fairford hosts US Air Force operations and has been used for American military activity linked to the Iran conflict. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had previously warned that British bases supporting US strikes could be considered legitimate targets
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
