U.S. authorities have charged three men, including one already jailed in the United States, with being Iran-supported operatives who plotted nearly 20 attacks on Jewish communities in Europe and the U.S., as well as a planned assault on a British airbase used by the U.S. Air Force. The charges were outlined in a superseding indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri, and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani.
Al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, is the only one in custody. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald stated that al-Saadi, arrested in the spring, continued to coordinate with his co-defendants in the days leading up to the attempted September terrorist plot at the British Royal Air Force Base in Fairford, United Kingdom, where U.S. bombers and troops were stationed.
"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," McDonald said. "The threat presented by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and our allies is not hypothetical — it is very real."
The indictment provides new details about an incident that drew international attention after five men were detained in late September on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses near RAF Fairford. A sixth suspect was arrested days later. All were released on bail.
British authorities linked the incident to Tehran, prompting the U.S. to withdraw its bombers from the base. The indictment alleges that al-Saadi used coded language from jail to direct that money be passed to others for carrying out attacks. The three men are accused of conspiring to use a network of contacts in the United Kingdom to commit terrorist attacks on behalf of an Iran-aligned network, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kata’ib Hizballah, both designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. Prosecutors state al-Saadi was a commander for Kata’ib Hizballah.