Three men have been charged in the United States over an alleged Iran-backed plot against RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. One of them is already held in a New York jail, where prosecutors say he used calls to relatives to pass coded messages to two alleged co-conspirators.
What Happened
On Tuesday 10 November, the US Justice Department unsealed an eight-count superseding indictment in a federal court in Manhattan. It charges Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, along with Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national, and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national, with terrorism-related offences.
Prosecutors allege that al-Saadi, who is held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, used coded language in phone and video calls to his mother and sister in Iraq. The messages were meant to pass instructions to Mohajeri and al-Hassani in the days before the incident at RAF Fairford. Neither Mohajeri nor al-Hassani is in US custody.
The Fairford Link
The indictment says al-Hassani paid a man to carry out surveillance in the UK from August. That surveillance allegedly escalated into paying other people to help procure vans and barrels of fuel, research chemical accelerants and buy objects that could be used as explosive shrapnel. The indictment also alleges that people in the UK made custom decals to make the vehicles look as if they belonged to a fuel company and a swimming pool supply business.
US Attorney Jamie McDonald said the defendants “helped orchestrate a campaign of terror” on behalf of Iran-affiliated groups that targeted Jewish communities in Europe and the United States, as well as RAF Fairford, which houses American service members. Attorney General Todd Blanche said anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing US servicemembers would be prosecuted. FBI Director Kash Patel said the indictment showed Iran’s determination to carry out attacks in Europe and the US.
Background
Police were called to RAF Fairford early on Sunday 27 September after three suspicious vehicles were reported heading towards the base. Five UK nationals aged 23 to 25 and from London were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. A sixth man, a 25-year-old UK-Iranian national, was arrested in London. Police said petrol was found in the vans but no explosive devices. Seven men have been arrested in total, and all have been released on bail while inquiries continue.
Two men, Mohmed Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both 24, have been charged under the National Security Act 2023 over an alleged plot to assist Iran’s intelligence service. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in October there was a “strong indication” that Iran was involved. Iran denies any role. The US removed its bombers from Fairford in early October.
What Happens Next
The US case against al-Saadi will continue in New York. In Britain, counter-terrorism police say the investigation is ongoing and that they are considering every possible angle, including the use of proxies by a hostile state. The two men charged in the UK are due at the Old Bailey on 20 November. Cheltenham Times will report any change to the charges or the court timetable.
This is a developing story, and we will update it as more details are confirmed.
