The United States Department of Justice has indicted three men on terrorism charges, alleging they were Iranian-backed operatives involved in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across the US, Europe, and the UK. The accused individuals include Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, who is already in prison in New York, as well as Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, whose current locations remain undisclosed.
The charges, announced on Tuesday, focus on RAF Fairford airbase in southwest England, which has been used by US forces and bombers during the US war against Iran. The alleged plot involved a group of men conducting suspicious activities at the base in September, leading to seven arrests, all of whom were later released on bail. Two were subsequently re-arrested and charged under the National Security Act for assisting Iran's intelligence service.
According to the US charging document, 35-year-old Mohammad Ali al-Hassani directed others to drive white vans containing fuel barrels to the base. Al-Hassani is also accused of paying the group to buy metal objects that could be used as shrapnel and disguise the vans as fuel delivery vehicles.
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a 32-year-old dual citizen of Iran and Iraq, allegedly passed coded messages to al-Hassani and Mohajeri to coordinate the plot. These messages were reportedly conveyed in phone calls to his mother and sister in Iraq using coded language.
Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald stated that the defendants helped orchestrate a campaign of terror on behalf of terrorist organisations affiliated with Iran, targeting Jewish communities in Europe and the United States, as well as the British military base, RAF Fairford, housing American service members. The US authorities have emphasized the real threat posed by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and its allies.
There has been no immediate comment from Iran regarding the charges. In May, the US first detailed the charges against al-Saadi, accusing him of directing others to attack US, Israeli, and Jewish targets and to kill Americans in retaliation for the US-Israel war on Iran. These attacks included a nonfatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London in April and arson attacks on synagogues, Israeli businesses, and Jewish schools elsewhere in Europe. Al-Saadi has been in US custody since May.
On Tuesday, flight-tracking data showed that the US military had removed at least a dozen aircraft from RAF Mildenhall, another UK airbase, following an alleged threat from Iran. The specifics of this threat remain unclear at this time.