The U.S. Department of Justice has charged three men alleged to be Iranian-backed operatives over a foiled September plot to attack Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford base and a series of attacks targeting Jewish communities across Europe and the United States.
An eight-count superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court names Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, a dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen; Mohsen Mohajeri, 48, an Iranian citizen; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, 35, an Iraqi citizen. Federal prosecutors allege the trio acted on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iran-aligned Iraqi militia Kata'ib Hezbollah, both of which Washington designates as foreign terrorist organizations.
Only al-Saadi is currently in U.S. custody. According to prosecutors, he helped coordinate the September plot against the British airbase from inside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, by passing coded messages to his co-defendants during phone calls with family members. Al-Hassani and Mohajeri were allegedly in Iran at the time of the operation and remain at large.
Plot against RAF Fairford and U.S. bomber withdrawal
The indictment provides the first detailed official account of a major security incident on Sept. 26–27 near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, southwest England, a facility used by the U.S. Air Force to station long-range B-1 bombers for military operations against Iran.
Court filings state that al-Hassani and Mohajeri relied on a network of associates in the United Kingdom to prepare the assault. Prosecutors allege that in August, al-Hassani paid a contact to conduct surveillance of the base's perimeter. In September, he allegedly funded associates to procure vans, barrels of fuel, and metallic objects intended for use as explosive shrapnel, while also researching chemical accelerants such as potassium chloride.
To avoid suspicion, the suspects disguised the vehicles as belonging to a fuel delivery company and a swimming pool supply business, according to the Justice Department. On Sept. 26, al-Hassani allegedly directed operatives to drive three vans—some loaded with fuel barrels—toward the base while staying in frequent contact with the drivers. At least two of the vehicles were stopped at a security roadblock before reaching the perimeter after a local farmer reported suspicious activity to British police.
Following the incident, the U.S. military withdrew all of its B-1 bombers stationed at RAF Fairford. British authorities arrested seven men in connection with the event and in October charged two suspects under U.K. national security laws. Iran has denied any involvement in the Fairford incident.
Broader campaign targeting Jewish sites and detention in Türkiye
Beyond the British airbase plot, U.S. authorities accuse the three men of orchestrating nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States during the spring of 2026 in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran.
According to the Justice Department, the trio carried out 18 attacks in Europe—including seven in the United Kingdom—under the cover name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI). Those operations involved arson, explosives, and an April stabbing in Golders Green, north London, that severely injured two Jewish men, one of whom holds dual U.S.-British citizenship. Prosecutors said the three defendants watched at least one of the European attacks unfold in real time via a video call projected onto a screen.
Al-Saadi was also accused of attempting to hire an operative in April to carry out assassination plots and bomb a synagogue in Manhattan. Unaware that he was communicating with an undercover law enforcement agent, al-Saadi was detained around May 1 while traveling in Türkiye and subsequently transferred to U.S. custody. He pleaded not guilty in June to initial terrorism charges, describing himself in court as a "prisoner of war," and has been held without bail since. His legal representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new charges.
Official statements and potential penalties
U.S. officials said the indictment demonstrates ongoing operational coordination between Iranian state bodies and proxy groups overseas.
In a formal statement, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche warned, "Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American servicemembers will be prosecuted by the United States government."
According to Jamie McDonald, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the suspects kept organizing attacks even while al-Saadi was held in federal custody. "The threat presented by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and our allies is not hypothetical—it is very real," McDonald stated.
Prosecutors have charged all three suspects with conspiracy to bomb a public facility, an offense punishable by up to life in prison. They also face several counts of terrorism financing and conspiring to supply material support to designated foreign terrorist groups, which carry penalties of 15 to 20 years per count. In addition, al-Saadi is charged with attempting cross-border terrorist acts, a crime that also carries a potential life sentence. Under U.S. law, the accused remain presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
