US Charges Three Iran-Linked Operatives in Terror Plots Targeting UK Airbase
The DOJ has charged three Iran-backed suspects for plotting terrorist attacks at RAF Fairford and across European cities using a front militant group.
POLICY WIRE — Washington, D.C. — — The United States Department of Justice has unsealed an indictment against three individuals linked to Iran, allegedly orchestrating multiple violent terrorist plots across the United States and Europe.
According to federal prosecutors, Iranian agents coordinated an operation targeting a British military airbase. This plot is linked to a suspicious incident in September at RAF Fairford, where American bomber aircraft have been stationed.
The indictment identifies Mohsen Mohajeri, Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, and Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi as the primary actors. Al-Hassani, a dual citizen of Iran and Iraq, is currently held in a New York prison awaiting trial on unrelated charges, while Mohajeri and al-Saadi are accused of directing the operations from within Iran.
Authorities claim the trio operated under the banner of a fictitious militant organization named Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI. The DOJ noted that HAYI claimed responsibility for 18 attacks across Europe during the spring of 2026, seven of which occurred in the United Kingdom.
The European attacks reportedly included the use of explosives and arson, as well as a violent stabbing in London that left two Jewish men injured, one of whom held dual US and British citizenship. A suspect in the London stabbing is scheduled for trial next year.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the eight-count indictment highlights Iran’s commitment to executing violence on Western soil. Patel further alleged that one of the defendants attempted to use coded messages to coordinate future acts of terror even while already in government custody.
The investigation linked the suspects to nearly 20 attempted strikes intended to support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.
The specific plot at RAF Fairford began on September 27 in Gloucestershire, when a local spotted spotted suspicious vans near the base. While police found no explosives, they did recover a significant amount of petrol from the vehicles.
Federal investigators allege that al-Hassani began paying UK associates in August to conduct surveillance and arrange logistics for the attack. By September, he allegedly ordered the purchase of chemical accelerants, specifically potassium chloride, and metal objects intended for use as shrapnel.
The vans were reportedly disguised as delivery vehicles for fuel and swimming pool supplies. However, two of the vehicles were stopped at a checkpoint before reaching the perimeter. Following the security breach, President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of US bombers from the facility, citing the ongoing threat.
The Iranian embassy in London has issued a categorical rejection of the allegations, describing the links to the state as unfounded and malicious. Seven men have been detained in the UK in connection with the September incident.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
