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Federal prosecutors in New York have charged three men with terrorism offenses linked to an Iran-backed campaign involving nearly 20 attacks across Europe and the United States. The indictment, unsealed Tuesday, details a September plot targeting a British air base that hosts American military forces.
Alleged Terror Network and Operations
The defendants are Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, who holds Iranian and Iraqi citizenship; Mohsen Mohajeri, 48, an Iranian; and Mohammed Ali Al-Hassani, 35, an Iraqi. Prosecutors allege the men acted on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iraqi militia Kata’ib Hezbollah. Both groups are designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States.
The indictment describes a sophisticated operation where the suspects directed attacks remotely. In April, the men allegedly watched an attack unfold in real-time via Apple’s FaceTime. Al-Hassani is accused of coaching an associate through the process of igniting and throwing incendiary devices while Al-Saadi filmed the event. The following day, Al-Hassani allegedly guided another individual to attack a London synagogue, instructing them to “light it up like a Christmas tree.”
According to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jamie McDonald, the men “helped orchestrate a campaign of terror.” The group, which prosecutors say operated under the front name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, claimed responsibility for roughly 18 attacks last spring, including arson, the use of explosives, and a near-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London.
The RAF Fairford Plot
The United Kingdom was a primary focus of the alleged campaign, with at least seven of the claimed attacks occurring there. In August, Al-Hassani—who was operating from Iran—began paying associates in Britain to film the perimeter of Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in Gloucestershire. The plotters allegedly gathered fuel, chemical accelerants, and metal items for shrapnel, while disguising their vehicles with fake branding for fuel and pool supply companies.
On September 26, three vans headed toward the base, which houses U.S. military aircraft. British authorities intercepted the vehicles at a security roadblock and arrested the occupants the following morning. Following the incident, the U.S. military redeployed several long-range bombers from the site. Al-Saadi, who had been detained abroad in May and brought to the U.S., is accused of continuing to direct the network from jail by using coded language during phone calls with relatives.
Separate Espionage Investigation
In an unrelated matter, British counterterrorism police arrested a 41-year-old U.S. Army soldier on suspicion of violating the U.K.’s National Security Act 2023. The soldier, stationed at Imjin Barracks near Gloucester, is being held at a London police station. Authorities stated the investigation involves allegations of espionage related to Russia.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the arrest as significant, noting an increase in counterintelligence activity. Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, commanding general of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, stated that the alleged conduct of a soldier entrusted with sensitive information serves as a “sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent.”
U.S. Military Presence in the U.K.
The United Kingdom hosts a significant American military footprint, with approximately 12,300 U.S. military and civilian personnel stationed across eleven RAF bases. RAF Fairford serves as a forward operating base for the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, while other sites like RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall function as primary operating bases.
While the British Defense Ministry maintains that aircraft movements are routine, recent reports have suggested heightened security concerns around U.S. bases. The ministry has declined to provide specific figures for individual bases, citing personnel security. Investigations into both the alleged terror plot and the espionage case remain ongoing.
