Federal prosecutors unsealed an eight-count terrorism indictment Tuesday charging three Iran-backed suspects with plotting to attack RAF Fairford in England, where U.S. military aircraft and personnel were stationed, using commercial vans loaded with fuel barrels designed to create explosive fireballs.
Coordinated Attack Plan Foiled
The Justice Department charged Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani with terrorism offenses tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kata’ib Hizballah. According to prosecutors, Al-Hassani directed associates in the United Kingdom to conduct surveillance of RAF Fairford in August, paying individuals to record video footage of the base’s security perimeter and surrounding areas.
The suspects’ associates obtained three vans and fuel barrels, researched chemical accelerants to intensify fires, and purchased metal objects intended to serve as explosive shrapnel. They disguised the vehicles with commercial decals mimicking legitimate fuel delivery and swimming pool supply companies. On September 26, Al-Hassani allegedly ordered associates to drive the three vans toward the base. At least two encountered a security roadblock and failed to reach their target. British authorities recovered all three vehicles and arrested the occupants the following morning.
Plot Directed From Prison
Prosecutors allege Al-Saadi helped coordinate the entire operation while imprisoned in New York awaiting trial on separate terrorism charges. He allegedly used telephone calls with family members in Iraq to relay coded instructions to his co-conspirators. During a September 24 call, Al-Saadi asked about Al-Hassani and instructed relatives to provide him money to execute the attack. The dual Iranian-Iraqi national was arrested abroad in May and transferred to U.S. custody after prosecutors accused him of directing approximately 18 attacks across Europe.
Broader Terror Campaign
The alleged RAF Fairford plot followed a series of attacks across Europe in March and April that prosecutors say the defendants helped organize on behalf of an Iran-aligned terrorist network. Those attacks targeted synagogues, Jewish organizations, ambulances and an Israeli embassy, including the stabbing of two Jewish men in London. Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the government’s commitment to prosecution, stating that anyone who plans terrorist plots against military bases housing American service members will face federal charges.
Security Response and Charges
British prosecutors charged two men under the National Security Act following the incident at RAF Fairford, a key U.S. bomber base. Approximately a dozen U.S. B-1 bombers were withdrawn from the base after the security breach. The three defendants face charges including conspiracy to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations, financing terrorism and conspiracy to bomb a place of public use. Some charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.