The United States government has unsealed an eight-count superseding indictment charging three Iran-backed operatives with terrorism-related offenses. The charges stem from their involvement in nearly twenty attacks targeting Jewish communities across Europe and the United States. The defendants are Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national. They are accused of acting in support of Kataib Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the US.
The alleged criminal activity spans multiple continents and includes a significant plot in September 2026 at a Royal Air Force base in Fairford, United Kingdom, where American forces were stationed. Al-Saadi, identified as a commander within Kataib Hezbollah, had been previously reported by The Jerusalem Post in May. He allegedly orchestrated attacks on Jewish and Israeli sites in Europe under the banner of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia. The other two men had remained unnamed in public reports until this latest legal filing.
Court filings indicate that the three conspirators plotted attacks on behalf of an Iran-aligned network. While Al-Saadi was imprisoned in the Southern District of New York awaiting trial, he allegedly coordinated with his co-defendants by sending coded messages through intermediaries. Al-Hassani and Mohajeri, who were in Iran during the Fairford plot, relied on a network of contacts within the United Kingdom to further their objectives.
The United Kingdom experienced the highest number of these incidents, with seven of the eighteen attacks claimed by the group in the spring of 2026 occurring in the country. The attacks utilized arson, explosives, and in one severe instance, a near-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London, one of whom held dual US-British citizenship. The indictment alleges that the three defendants were personally involved in planning many of these events. Al-Saadi and Mohajeri also assisted in creating and publishing online propaganda videos documenting the attacks.
Specific details from the case reveal a meeting in Iraq around April 6, where Mohajeri and al-Hassani plotted attacks while viewing a map of London on a computer. In a recorded video from that meeting, al-Hassani stated, "we need to get focused on London." Approximately one week later, the group claimed responsibility for six attacks in and around the British capital. Around April 17, the three defendants allegedly directed an individual to carry out an attack in real time via communication channels.
During that April 17 incident, al-Hassani is said to have guided the perpetrator through the execution of the attack. Instructions included telling the individual to take a lighter, "light one in your hand," and "throw the fourth one." The following day, on April 18, al-Hassani participated in a video call with an individual attacking a synagogue in London. He directed the person to "light it up like a Christmas tree," after which the individual ignited an improvised explosive device and threw it at the building.
In addition to European targets, al-Saadi allegedly attempted to coordinate attacks in the United States during March and April, including a plot targeting a synagogue in Manhattan. He was arrested abroad on or about May 1 and subsequently transferred to US custody. However, in August, al-Hassani allegedly directed associates in the UK to handle logistics for the Fairford plot.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the indictment demonstrates Iran's determination to commit terrorist acts in Europe and the US. He noted that the agency has disrupted over 1,300 terrorists and made nearly 7,000 related arrests in the last 21 months. Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that the government will prosecute anyone who plots attacks on military bases housing American service members and will continue to dismantle these networks.
