The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that three Iran-backed operatives have been charged with plotting a terrorist attack at a British Royal Air Force base in the United Kingdom. The target of the alleged plot was RAF Fairford, a facility where U.S. troops are stationed. The charges were made public through an eight-count superseding indictment.
The primary defendant, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, was first indicted in May on federal charges of conspiracy to provide material support to Iran-backed terrorist organizations, including Iran's forces and Kata'ib Hizballah. He is currently in federal custody in New York. According to the new filing, Al-Saadi worked with two other men to coordinate the attack on the air base in September.
The two co-conspirators are Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national, and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national. Sources familiar with the matter indicated that neither Mohajeri nor al-Hassani is currently in custody. The Justice Department alleges that Al-Saadi communicated with his partners by passing coded messages through third parties.
Federal prosecutors claim that beginning in August, Al-Saadi directed and paid associates in the United Kingdom to prepare for the assault. He allegedly instructed an unnamed individual to conduct surveillance at RAF Fairford. He also paid multiple unnamed people to organize vans, acquire barrels of fuel, research chemical accelerants, and purchase metal to be used as shrapnel.
The indictment describes the plan as involving three individuals driving fuel-filled vans to the base where they would be exploded. To avoid detection, Al-Saadi reportedly told the drivers to mark the vans with custom decals that would disguise the vehicles as belonging to a fuel delivery or pool supply business. He also directed his family members to pass messages to his co-conspirators.
Communication logs included in the indictment show a phone call in July where Al-Saadi asked his sister to pass messages to Mohajeri regarding their work. When he inquired if the operations had been paused, his sister replied that the work was not cancelled. On September 24, Al-Saadi allegedly asked about al-Hassani's status and instructed his family to provide him with money so the attack could proceed.
The plan reportedly went into motion on September 26, when al-Hassani directed three individuals to drive the vans to RAF Fairford. The indictment alleges that two of the vehicles encountered security checkpoints and were unable to proceed on their intended route to the base.
Law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom recovered the three vans, which bore fuel delivery business decals, and arrested the drivers. This case adds to a series of charges against Al-Saadi, who was previously alleged to have plotted terror attacks in the United States, including one at a prominent Jewish institution in New York.
Prosecutors also accused Al-Saadi of being involved in the planning, execution, and promotion of attacks in Europe and Canada since March. These actions were reportedly taken in retaliation against the military operations of the U.S. and Israel in Iran.
In a statement, Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the commitment of the U.S. government to hold perpetrators accountable. He stated that anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American servicemembers will be prosecuted by the United States government.
