On a late September night, a farmer driving home from a party noticed three vans parked suspiciously near the Gloucestershire airbase at RAF Fairford and alerted the police, setting in motion a case that now reaches across the Atlantic. In November, US prosecutors accused three men linked to Iran's security apparatus of directing a string of attacks in Europe under a newly named front, HAYI, including the vehicle plot against an airbase that has long served American bombers. The vans were found carrying fuel rather than the explosives that might have made the night a catastrophe, yet the inten
US Charges Three Iran-Backed Suspects Over Alleged Plots, Including September Incident Near RAF Fairford
Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, London, in April in one of the attacks attributed to HAYI, one of them a dual US-British citizen.
Three vans, a farmer's phone call, and a base the US then emptied of bombers
Mark
Why does this indictment land differently from the earlier arrests?
Mimi
Because it ties a local incident to a named chain of command. The DOJ says al-Hassani paid people, tracked the vans and directed drivers, and that two others ran the wider campaign from Iran and a New York prison.
Luke
Careful, though. These are allegations in an indictment, not findings. Nothing in the reporting says a court has tested them.
Mark
What do we actually know about the vans?
Mimi
They were reported by a farmer on 27 September, no explosives were found, and petrol was seized. The DOJ says some held barrels of fuel and at least two hit a roadblock.
Luke
And the shrapnel and potassium chloride? That's the DOJ describing purchases and research, not something found in the vans.
Mark
Iran denies all of it.
Mimi
Strongly, yes. Its London embassy calls the claims unfounded and malicious.
Luke
So we have a detailed US account and a flat denial. The public reporting doesn't show the evidence behind the Iran link.
Mark
What about the Golders Green stabbing?
Mimi
The DOJ includes it among attacks HAYI claimed. Two Jewish men were hurt, one a dual US-British citizen, and a suspect goes to trial next year.
Luke
Worth noting that trial is separate from this indictment. Nothing here says who the UK suspect answers to.
Der Puls
- A farmer's late-night call near RAF Fairford turned an ordinary drive into a major incident, with three vans and seized petrol at the centre of it.
- US prosecutors allege the vans were part of a wider campaign, with an eight-count indictment naming three men accused of directing attacks under the HAYI name.
- Seven arrests in the UK and two British nationals before court have put the plot's local threads under legal scrutiny, while Iran firmly denies any involvement.
- The US has pulled all its bombers from Fairford, and what happens next depends on how the UK cases unfold and whether Washington widens its charges.
On a late September night, a farmer driving home from a party noticed three vans parked suspiciously near the Gloucestershire airbase at RAF Fairford and alerted the police, setting in motion a case that now reaches across the Atlantic. In November, US prosecutors accused three men linked to Iran's security apparatus of directing a string of attacks in Europe under a newly named front, HAYI, including the vehicle plot against an airbase that has long served American bombers. The vans were found carrying fuel rather than the explosives that might have made the night a catastrophe, yet the intent behind them is what the court now weighs. Tehran rejects any role, and so the case stands as one more chapter in a long, shadowy struggle over who may strike whom, and from where.
A farmer driving home from a party in the early hours of 27 September noticed three vans near RAF Fairford, the Gloucestershire airbase in the Cotswolds, and called the police. A major incident was declared. No explosives were found, but a quantity of petrol was seized, and the discovery turned out to be only part of something larger.
On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against three men it calls Iran-backed operatives. Prosecutors say they planned attacks in Europe under the name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI. According to the DOJ, one of them directed associates in the UK from a New York prison, where he awaits trial on earlier charges, while the other two allegedly did the same from Iran. The Fairford plan, prosecutors say, involved surveillance of the base, purchased vans and fuel, and attempts to source chemicals and shrapnel, with the vans disguised as delivery vehicles. At least two were stopped at a security roadblock before reaching the perimeter.
The indictment also reaches back to spring, when HAYI claimed 18 attacks in Europe. Seven of them took place in Britain, including a near-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, London, in April. One of the victims was a dual US-British citizen, and a suspect is due to stand trial next year.
Iran strongly denies any role, calling the accusations unfounded and malicious. Seven men have been arrested in the UK over Fairford. The base itself carries weight: US bombers flew from it toward the Middle East in recent months, and after the incident Washington withdrew them. What comes next will be decided in British courtrooms and, perhaps, in further American charges.
A farmer driving home from a party in the early hours of 27 September noticed three vans near RAF Fairford, the Gloucestershire airbase in the Cotswolds, and called the police. A major incident was declared. No explosive materials turned up in the vans, but a quantity of petrol was seized. On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice said that discovery was part of something much larger.
The DOJ unsealed an eight-count indictment against three men it describes as Iran-backed operatives: Iranian Mohsen Mohajeri, Iraqi national Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, and Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, who holds both Iranian and Iraqi citizenship. Prosecutors say the trio planned attacks in Europe carried out under the name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI, a purportedly new group. The DOJ said Iranian agents most recently orchestrated a terrorist plot at an air force base in the UK.
According to the DOJ, al-Saadi communicated with contacts in the UK from a prison in New York, where he is awaiting trial on earlier charges. The other two are accused of doing the same from Iran. FBI Director Kash Patel said one of the three allegedly sent coded messages from detention to help with future acts of violence. He said the accused were involved in nearly 20 attempted attacks supporting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.
The DOJ's account of the Fairford plot is detailed. It says al-Hassani directed and paid associates in the UK in August to carry out preparatory steps and arrange logistics. On 22 August he allegedly paid one person to conduct surveillance of the base's perimeter. In September he paid several people to procure vans and barrels of fuel, research buying chemical accelerants including large quantities of potassium chloride, and buy metallic objects that could serve as shrapnel. The vans were then made to look as though they belonged to a fuel delivery business and a swimming pool supply business.
On 26 September, the DOJ says, al-Hassani tasked individuals with driving three vans, some later found to hold barrels of fuel, to the base, staying in frequent contact and helping direct their routes. At least two of the vans met a security roadblock on the way to the perimeter and were not allowed to proceed as intended.
The indictment also reaches back to spring. Of 18 attacks in Europe that HAYI claimed in spring 2026, the DOJ says seven took place in the UK, involving arsons, explosives and, in one case, a near-fatal stabbing in London of two Jewish men, one a dual US-British citizen. That attack happened in Golders Green, north London, in April, and a suspect is due to stand trial next year. Patel said the indictment shows Iran's determination to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the US.
Iran strongly denies any involvement. Its embassy in London said it categorically rejects and strongly condemns what it called unfounded and malicious speculation linking Iran to the incident. Seven men have been arrested in the UK over Fairford, and two British nationals appeared in court last month in connection with the alleged plot.
The base matters beyond the investigation. The US Air Force has used RAF Fairford for decades, and in recent months flew B-1 and B-52 bombers from it to the Middle East for what were described as defensive strikes on Iran. In July, Iran said any base used for aggression against its territory was a legitimate target. After the incident the US withdrew all its bombers from Fairford, with President Donald Trump citing some threats to the base. What to watch now is how the UK court cases proceed and whether Washington widens its charges.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
This eight-count indictment shows the determination of Iran to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the US.— FBI Director Kash Patel
Iran's London embassy said it categorically rejects and strongly condemns what it called unfounded and malicious speculation linking Iran to the incident.— Iranian embassy in London
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