US charges three alleged Iran-backed operatives over RAF Fairford plot

US authorities have charged three alleged Iran-backed operatives over a campaign of nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States, including a plot against Britain's RAF Fairford airbase. An eight-count superseding indictment unsealed on November 10 links the men to the September 2026 incident near the base, where American military personnel and aircraft were stationed.

The Justice Department identified the defendants 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. Prosecutors allege they supported Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kata'ib Hizballah, both designated foreign terrorist organizations by the United States.

According to the indictment, al-Hassani directed preparations for the Fairford plot while he and Mohajeri were in Iran. They allegedly relied on contacts in Britain, including associates paid to film the base's perimeter and arrange vehicles and supplies before the September incident.

Prosecutors allege al-Hassani instructed individuals to drive three vans toward the base on September 26 and communicated with them about their movements. At least two vehicles encountered a security roadblock and could not continue along their intended route, according to the court filing. British authorities recovered three vans and arrested their occupants early the following morning.

British Counter Terrorism Policing said its response followed information that included a member of the public's report of suspicious vehicles near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Subsequent examinations found petrol but no improvised explosive devices. That distinction separates the materials police recovered from the broader attack preparations alleged by US prosecutors.

Al-Saadi was already imprisoned in New York awaiting trial on terrorism charges when the Fairford preparations allegedly took place. Prosecutors say he used telephone and video calls with relatives in Iraq to relay coded messages to his co-defendants, including communications in the days before the incident.

The wider US case concerns alleged attacks on Jewish communities and American interests as well as the military base. Prosecutors say an organization calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility for European attacks and served as a front for established terrorist groups. Al-Saadi had previously been charged over an alleged attempt to bomb a New York synagogue.

Britain's investigation has proceeded separately, with seven men arrested in connection with activity near Fairford. Counter Terrorism Policing announced on October 27 that two men had been charged under the National Security Act. Police said the foreign country connected to their investigation was Iran.

The allegations bring together threats against civilian institutions and a military installation hosting US forces. Iran has denied involvement in the Fairford incident, according to Associated Press reporting. The US indictment remains an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The American prosecution is being handled in the Southern District of New York, with assistance from national security prosecutors and British authorities. US officials said they would continue pursuing the alleged network, while British police have appealed for information to support their investigation.