Across the quiet seams of a long and bitter conflict, American prosecutors have now named three men as instruments of Iran's shadow reach, accusing them of stitching together nearly twenty attacks on Jewish communities, Israeli interests and American forces in Europe and the United States. At the center of the indictment lies RAF Fairford, an English airfield that once sheltered bombers bound for Iran, where a plot involving disguised delivery vans and fuel barrels was allegedly meant to strike from within a friendly land. Tehran denies any hand in it, and the courts on both sides of the Atlan
US Charges Three Men Over Alleged Iran-Backed Plot Targeting UK's RAF Fairford Air Base
Nonfatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London in April, and arson attacks on synagogues, Israeli businesses and Jewish schools across Europe.
Coded phone calls to his mother and sister in Iraq
Mark
Why does this indictment matter beyond the individual men?
Mimi
It ties together things that looked separate: the London stabbing in April, arsons at synagogues and Jewish schools in Europe, and the Fairford vans. Prosecutors are saying nearly 20 incidents share one directing network.
Mark
How does the Fairford plot work, as alleged?
Mimi
Vans disguised as fuel delivery vehicles, some carrying barrels of fuel, plus metal bought to act as shrapnel. Al-Hassani allegedly paid for that and directed the drivers.
Luke
Careful, though. That is the US charging document's account. These are allegations, and al-Saadi has pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges.
Mark
And the link to Iran itself?
Mimi
Prosecutors say the men acted for the IRGC and Kataib Hezbollah. Iran strongly denies any involvement in the Fairford incident.
Luke
Right, so the Iran connection is the prosecution's claim and Tehran's denial stands against it. We also have no comment from Iran on these specific charges yet.
Mark
What about the two charged in Britain?
Mimi
They were charged under the National Security Act on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service, after seven were arrested and bailed.
Luke
And the source doesn't say how those two connect to the three men charged in New York. That's unknown.
Mark
What about the aircraft leaving Mildenhall?
Mimi
Flight tracking shows at least a dozen aircraft removed.
Luke
The reason comes from the Wall Street Journal, citing a threat from Iran. It's reported, not confirmed by the US government here.
Le Pouls
- Three men stand accused of coordinating nearly twenty attacks, and the alleged reach of Iran-backed networks now stretches from London's streets to New York's courtrooms.
- A farmer's suspicion in September set off an arrest, a bail release, and a second round of detentions, turning a rural tip into an international terrorism case.
- Prosecutors allege disguised fuel vans and metal shrapnel were prepared for an attack on the base housing American service members, while coded phone calls to family in Iraq carried the orders.
- The US pulled its B-1 bombers from Fairford days after the incident, and now at least a dozen aircraft have left RAF Mildenhall, leaving allies and planners watching for the next threat signal.
- Two suspects face charges under the UK's National Security Act while Iran denies everything, and the case will test whether these alleged networks can be dismantled through courts before further violence.
Across the quiet seams of a long and bitter conflict, American prosecutors have now named three men as instruments of Iran's shadow reach, accusing them of stitching together nearly twenty attacks on Jewish communities, Israeli interests and American forces in Europe and the United States. At the center of the indictment lies RAF Fairford, an English airfield that once sheltered bombers bound for Iran, where a plot involving disguised delivery vans and fuel barrels was allegedly meant to strike from within a friendly land. Tehran denies any hand in it, and the courts on both sides of the Atlantic now hold the threads of a story whose full meaning is still unfolding.
On Tuesday, US prosecutors charged three men they describe as Iranian-backed operatives, accusing them of taking part in nearly twenty attacks and attempted attacks across the United States and Europe. One of the alleged plots targeted RAF Fairford, the English air base from which US bombers had been deployed in the war against Iran. The Justice Department says the men acted in support of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah, and they face terrorism-related charges. Tehran has not commented on the charges and has strongly denied any involvement.
The Fairford story began in September, when a local farmer reported a group of men and several white vans acting suspiciously near the base. Seven men were arrested and released on bail. Later, two were re-arrested on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence and charged under the National Security Act. Days after the incident, the US withdrew its B-1 bombers from the base.
According to the indictment, Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national, directed others to drive vans carrying fuel barrels to the base, after paying a group to buy metal objects that could act as shrapnel. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, who holds Iranian and Iraqi citizenship, allegedly passed coded instructions through calls to his family in Iraq. The third man, Mohsen Mohajeri, is an Iranian national whose whereabouts were not disclosed.
Al-Saadi was first charged in May over attacks on US, Israeli and Jewish targets, including the April stabbing of two Jewish men in London and arson at synagogues, Israeli businesses and Jewish schools across Europe. He has been held without bail in US custody since then, and in June he pleaded not guilty, calling himself a prisoner of war. The new indictment adds the Fairford plot to his case. Meanwhile, flight-tracking data shows the US military has moved at least a dozen aircraft away from RAF Mildenhall, a move the Wall Street Journal linked to a threat from Iran. The coming proceedings in the UK and the US will determine how much of this network can be proven in court.
On Tuesday, US prosecutors announced charges against three men they describe as Iranian-backed operatives, accused of taking part in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across the United States and Europe. One of those alleged plots centred on RAF Fairford, a British air base in southwest England that US forces had used to deploy bombers in the war against Iran.
The Department of Justice said the men acted in support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah. It named them as Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, and said they face terrorism-related offences. Al-Saadi is already in jail in New York. Prosecutors did not say where Mohajeri and al-Hassani are.
The Fairford episode began in September, when police were called after a local farmer reported a group of men with several white vans behaving suspiciously near the site. Seven men were arrested and all were released on bail. Two were later re-arrested on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service and were charged under the National Security Act. Iran has strongly denied any involvement. Days after the incident, the US withdrew all of its B-1 bombers from Fairford.
The US charging document lays out roles for each man. Al-Hassani, a 35-year-old Iraqi national, is accused of directing others to drive the vans to the base, some of them carrying barrels of fuel. Prosecutors say he had earlier paid the group to buy metal objects that could serve as shrapnel and to disguise the vans as fuel delivery vehicles.
Al-Saadi, 32, holds Iranian and Iraqi citizenship. Prosecutors say he coordinated the plot by passing coded messages to al-Hassani and to Mohajeri, a 48-year-old Iranian. According to the allegations, he did so through phone calls to his mother and sister in Iraq, using coded language.
Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald said the defendants helped orchestrate a campaign of terror on behalf of Iran-affiliated terrorist organisations, targeting Jewish communities in Europe and the United States as well as the British base housing American service members. The threat from Iran and Iran-backed groups, he said, is not hypothetical but very real. There was no immediate comment from Iran on Tuesday's charges.
The case against al-Saadi is not new. US authorities first detailed charges against him 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. Those attacks included the nonfatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London in April, along with arson attacks on synagogues, Israeli businesses and Jewish schools elsewhere in Europe. He has been in US custody since May, held without bail. In June he pleaded not guilty and called himself a "prisoner of war." Tuesday's indictment adds his alleged role in the Fairford plot and brings the other two men into the case.
The announcement came as flight-tracking data showed the US military had removed at least a dozen aircraft from a second UK base, RAF Mildenhall. The Wall Street Journal said the move followed a threat from Iran. Watch for the UK proceedings against the two men charged under the National Security Act, and for whether further aircraft movements point to new threat assessments.
Citations marquantes
The threat presented by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and our allies is not hypothetical – it is very real.— Jamie McDonald, Manhattan US Attorney
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