US Indicts Three Iran-Backed Operatives Over RAF Fairford Terror Plot

The United States has charged three Iran-backed men over the RAF Fairford terror plot, unsealing an eight-count indictment that accuses them of planning a September attack on the British air base where American forces were stationed, as part of a wider campaign of nearly 20 attacks across Europe and the United States.

The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday in a federal court in New York, names Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a 32-year-old dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, a 48-year-old Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, a 35-year-old Iraqi national. Prosecutors say the three men acted in support of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organisations.

FAKTA

• An eight-count superseding indictment was unsealed on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, in the Southern District of New York.
• The three defendants are Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32; Mohsen Mohajeri, 48; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, 35.
• Prosecutors link the men to nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States, and to a September 2026 plot at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
• RAF Fairford housed US military aircraft and personnel at the time of the alleged plot.
• Three vans were driven towards the base on 26 September; British police recovered the vans and arrested the occupants in the early hours of 27 September.
• All three men are presumed innocent until proven guilty; the charges are allegations, not findings of guilt.

The RAF Fairford Terror Plot

According to the US Justice Department, al-Hassani orchestrated the RAF Fairford terror plot. In August, he allegedly directed and paid associates in the United Kingdom to take preparatory steps and arrange logistics for the attack. On 22 August, prosecutors say, he paid one person to carry out surveillance of the base’s perimeter and later received videos of the surrounding area.

In September, al-Hassani allegedly tasked and paid several people to prepare for the plot, including by procuring vans and barrels of fuel, researching the purchase of chemical accelerants, including large quantities of potassium chloride, and buying metallic objects that could be used as explosive shrapnel. The group also commissioned custom decals for the vans to make them look like they belonged to a fuel delivery business and a swimming pool supply business.

On 26 September, three vans were driven towards RAF Fairford. At least two of them met a security roadblock on the way to the base perimeter and were not allowed to continue on their intended route. In the early hours of 27 September, British police recovered three white vans carrying the business logos and arrested the occupants. Seven men were arrested in the UK over the incident, and British police charged two men in October.

Coordinated From a US Jail, Prosecutors Say

Prosecutors allege that al-Saadi helped coordinate the plot from inside a federal jail in New York, where he has been held since May awaiting trial on earlier terrorism charges. According to the indictment, he used phone calls with his immediate family in Iraq to pass coded messages to Mohajeri and al-Hassani in the days leading up to the RAF Fairford terror plot.

On 24 September, prosecutors say, al-Saadi asked his family about al-Hassani, whom he referred to as “Ali”, and told them to “give him money so we can do it”. Three days later, the vans were driven towards the base. Al-Hassani and Mohajeri were both in Iran at the time of the alleged plot, according to the Justice Department, and relied on a network of contacts in the UK.

Al-Saadi’s lawyers have disputed the claim. In a court filing on 14 October, they said the prosecution’s assertion that he used coded language during family phone calls was speculative and based on questionable translations from Arabic, and that there were ordinary explanations for the conversations. A lawyer for al-Saadi declined to comment on the new indictment.

A Wider Campaign Across Europe

The indictment places the Fairford plot within a broader campaign that prosecutors say the three men carried out in the spring of 2026 under the name of a purportedly new group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, known as HAYI, which the Justice Department describes as a front for Kata’ib Hizballah and other groups.

Of the 18 attacks in Europe for which HAYI claimed responsibility in the spring of 2026, seven took place in the United Kingdom, more than in any other European country, according to the Justice Department. The attacks involved arson and explosives, and in one case a near-fatal stabbing in London of two Jewish men, including a dual US-British citizen.

Prosecutors also describe video calls in April in which the defendants allegedly directed attacks in real time, including an attack on a synagogue in London on 18 April, when an improvised explosive device was thrown at the building. Al-Saadi was charged in May for his alleged role in about 18 attacks in Europe and for attempting to bomb a synagogue in New York. He pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges.

What the Defendants Face

The eight counts include conspiring to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah and to the IRGC, conspiring to provide material support for acts of terrorism, attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and conspiring to bomb a place of public use. Some counts carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison; others carry up to life.

“Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American servicemembers will be prosecuted by the United States government,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said. FBI Director Kash Patel said the indictment showed Iran’s determination to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the US, and noted that one of the men allegedly sent coded messages from behind bars.

Iran has denied any role in the suspected plot. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in October that the suspected plot targeting the base, which had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, was “highly likely” to have been coordinated in Iran.

What Happens Next

Al-Saadi remains in federal custody in the United States. Mohajeri and al-Hassani were not in US custody when the indictment was announced. The case will proceed in the Southern District of New York, while British authorities continue their own investigation into the people arrested near RAF Fairford. More world news is available on our World news page.