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2h ago

U.S. Charges Three Over Alleged Iran‑Backed Plot on RAF Fairford

Prosecutors say a detained Iran‑aligned commander used coded family calls from a New York jail to direct an alleged campaign of nearly 20 attacks, including a planned strike on the UK base.

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Seven men have now been arrested in relation to the RAF Fairford (Photo: Toby Shepheard/Reuters)
Caption and photo from www.justice.gov: "Image from an April video that showed al-Hassani (left) and Mohajeri (right) meeting to plan terrorist attacks."
Caption and photo from www.justice.gov: "Image from an April video of an attack on a London synagogue."

Overview

  • The Department of Justice unsealed a superseding indictment on Tuesday charging Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al‑Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali al‑Hassani with terrorism offenses tied to Iran‑aligned groups.
  • Prosecutors allege al‑Saadi, held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, used recorded phone calls with relatives to pass coded instructions while subject to special administrative measures that limit his communications.
  • The indictment says al‑Hassani financed and directed surveillance and logistics in the UK, paying associates to obtain three vans, barrels of fuel, chemical accelerants and metal intended as shrapnel for use as vehicle‑borne bombs.
  • Court filings and police accounts show three vans approached RAF Fairford on Sept. 26, two were stopped at a roadblock, all three were seized the next day and suspects were arrested though no explosives were found; U.S. forces temporarily moved some aircraft after the incident.
  • British prosecutions and international security reviews are ongoing, and authorities face the task of translating classified intelligence and recorded calls into courtroom evidence as they pursue cross‑border terrorism charges.