# U.S. Indicts Three Alleged Iranian Operatives Over Air Base Terror Plot *News · World Desk · Published 2026-11-11T12:24:07Z* Canonical: https://amk.news/article/u-s-indicts-three-alleged-iranian-operatives-over-air-base-terror-plot > Federal prosecutors in New York have charged three men with plotting almost 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and the United States, including a thwarted assault on a British air base hosting American military personnel. The superseding indictment alleges that an incarcerated suspect coordinated the conspiracy from inside a U.S. prison using coded messages to relatives. ## Key points - Federal prosecutors in New York charged Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri, and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani with plotting nearly twenty terrorist attacks. - Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi allegedly coordinated the conspiracy from inside a United States prison using coded phone messages to his relatives. - The superseding indictment details an attempted assault on the Royal Air Force Fairford base in the United Kingdom involving three fuel-filled commercial vans. Federal prosecutors in New York unsealed a superseding indictment on Tuesday charging three alleged Iran-backed operatives — Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri, and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani — with plotting nearly 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and the U.S., including an attempted assault on the Royal Air Force Fairford base in the United Kingdom. ## What are the main charges against the suspects? The updated federal indictment unsealed in Manhattan accuses the three men of conspiring to execute a widespread terror campaign targeting Jewish communities in North America and Europe, alongside military infrastructure hosting American personnel. According to U.S. law enforcement, the trio acted on behalf of organizations aligned with Tehran, specifically Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iraqi armed group Kata'ib Hizballah, both of which are officially designated foreign terrorist organizations by the United States government. _Watch: US indicts three men over alleged 'terror' attacks in US and Europe, including UK air base plot — Al Jazeera English_ Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a 32-year-old dual national of Iran and Iraq, has been in federal custody in New York City since his arrest in the spring. Al-Saadi, identified by prosecutors as a commander within Kata'ib Hizballah, previously pleaded not guilty in June to an eight-count indictment detailing at least 18 planned strikes intended as retaliation for U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran. The newly expanded indictment adds charges detailing his primary role in orchestrating a September plot directed at RAF Fairford, located roughly 100 miles west of London. The two co-defendants named in the charging document remain at large. Mohsen Mohajeri, a 48-year-old Iranian national, and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, a 35-year-old Iraqi national, were indicted alongside al-Saadi for their participation in organizing and funding the operations. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the present location of either fugitive. ## How was the plot against RAF Fairford organized and uncovered? The plot against RAF Fairford came to light after suspicious activity was reported near the military facility in late September. Prosecutors state that al-Hassani began laying the groundwork for the operation in August by paying an associate to conduct physical reconnaissance of the air base, which housed U.S. Air Force troops and B-1 bomber aircraft used in Middle Eastern operations. Al-Hassani subsequently funded individuals in the U.K. to purchase three commercial vans, procure large volumes of fuel, obtain metallic items to serve as explosive shrapnel, and research chemical accelerants such as potassium chloride. To evade detection by local authorities, the operatives applied custom graphic decals to the vehicles to make them resemble legitimate fuel delivery transport and swimming pool service vans. On the night of September 26, al-Hassani directed operatives to drive the fuel-filled vehicles toward the base with the intent to detonate them on the premises. However, after midnight on September 27, two of the vans encountered police checkpoints, preventing them from penetrating the perimeter. U.K. law enforcement officers subsequently impounded all three vehicles and arrested the drivers. Investigators revealed that al-Saadi managed to direct elements of the operation while detained inside a U.S. correctional facility. By placing telephone and video calls to his mother and sister in Iraq, he communicated encrypted instructions, which his relatives then relayed to Mohajeri and al-Hassani. In a intercepted July phone call with his sister, al-Saadi inquired about the status of terror operations involving Mohajeri, and on September 24, he explicitly instructed his family to disburse funds to al-Hassani to execute the strike on the British base. _Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building exterior door (Image: Wikimedia Commons)_ > "Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American servicemembers will be prosecuted by the United States government," stated Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding the indictment. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York highlighted the gravity of the international network in an official statement: "These defendants helped orchestrate a campaign of terror on behalf of terrorist organizations affiliated with Iran that targeted Jewish communities in Europe and the United States, and the British military base, RAF Fairford, housing American service members. The threat presented by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and our allies is not hypothetical — it is very real," McDonald noted to PBS. ## How did authorities and military forces respond to the threat? The response to the suspicious activity near RAF Fairford involved broad emergency measures by British security forces. Following initial reports from a local farmer who spotted the fleet of vans, U.K. police set up a safety perimeter, evacuated nearby residents, deployed specialized explosive ordnance disposal units, and detained five men at the scene. Days later, British officers arrested a sixth suspect, a British-Iranian dual citizen. All six individuals were initially released on bail during the ongoing probe. As the law enforcement investigation broadened, British authorities rearrested two 24-year-old men in October and brought formal charges under the National Security Act. U.K. prosecutors charged one defendant with assisting Iranian state intelligence services, granting him conditional bail. The second individual was remanded in custody on charges of accessing a restricted military site to conduct unauthorized surveillance during August. Although Iranian officials publicly rejected claims of involvement, British and American intelligence linked the operational planning directly to Tehran. The security threat prompted immediate military realignments by the U.S. Department of Defense. Shortly after the vehicle interdictions in late September, American military commanders removed all B-1 heavy bombers stationed at RAF Fairford and redeployed the aircraft to their home bases within the continental United States. ## What background context frames this legal action? The Justice Department's counterterrorism prosecution falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and federal prosecutors within the U.S. Department of Justice, which is overseen by the Attorney General. Under U.S. federal law, prosecutors possess broad authority to extradite and try foreign nationals accused of planning attacks against American military personnel, diplomatic assets, or citizens abroad. The alleged plots targeted the domestic territory of the United States, which World Bank data from 2025 places at a population of 341.8 million, as well as several European allies. RAF Fairford has long functioned as a critical forward-operating location for NATO forces and American strategic bombers during major international conflicts. The base's involvement in historical and recent actions targeting Iranian interests made it a strategic target for Iran-backed proxy networks, including Kata'ib Hizballah, an armed Iraqi militia with close logistical and financial ties to the IRGC. _FBI Headquarters Selection Press Conference (53324816656) (Image: Wikimedia Commons)_ ## What is still unclear about the cases and what happens next? While the superseding indictment outlines extensive operational details, several aspects of the legal proceedings and investigative findings remain unresolved across official reports: **Custody Status of Co-Defendants:** Federal charging documents do not indicate the exact locations of Mohsen Mohajeri or Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, nor have authorities confirmed whether formal extradition requests have been submitted to foreign governments to secure their arrest. **Status of U.K. Suspects:** U.K. authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the individuals detained near RAF Fairford in September will face additional terrorism or conspiracy charges in British courts beyond the two indictments brought under the National Security Act in October. **Next Court Appearances:** A specific trial date for Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi in Manhattan federal court has not yet been announced by the Department of Justice, nor has it been confirmed whether security protocols surrounding federal detention facilities will be modified to restrict inmate communications following the security breach. ### United States in numbers Population341.8 million 2025GDP (current US$)$30.77 trillion 2025GDP per capita$90,027 2025Inflation (consumer prices, annual)2.9% 2024Unemployment (% of labour force)4.2% 2025Source: [World Bank Open Data](https://data.worldbank.org/country/US), latest available year. Compiled by AMK News. **Sources:** This report draws on coverage by [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/world/united-kingdom/us-charges-3-men-plotting-multiple-terrorist-attacks-planned-attack-uk-rcna608647), [PBS](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/u-s-charges-3-men-with-plotting-terror-attacks-including-planned-assault-on-uk-airbase), [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/11/us-charges-3-iranian-backed-men-over-alleged-plot-at-uk-fairford-air-base), [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-iran-operatives-indicted-terror-plots/), [DW.com](https://www.dw.com/en/us-charges-3-alleged-iranian-operatives-over-plots-targeting-jewish-communities-and-a-uk-airbase/a-79913543), [The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2026/11/10/terror-plots-uk-airbase-bombers-trump/90e6ae6a-dd44-11f1-912c-4fbb80d73f7f_story.html), [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/11/10/doj-charges-terror-plots-europe-us), [France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20261110-us-iranian-operatives-raf-fairford-terror-plot). 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