Two charged over alleged RAF Fairford terror plot
British prosecutors have charged two men under the National Security Act following an incident at RAF Fairford, a key U.S. bomber base in England. Investigators believe one of the suspects was acting on behalf of Iran. About a dozen U.S. B-1 bombers were previously removed from the base after the incident.
Three suspected Iran-backed operatives plotted to attack a British air base housing American troops, allegedly using vans loaded with fuel barrels, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday by the Justice Department (DOJ).
The eight-count superseding indictment names Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani in terrorism-related charges involving Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Kata’ib Hizballah.Â
According to prosecutors, the alleged target was RAF Fairford in England, a facility used by U.S. military aircraft and personnel.
“Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American service members will be prosecuted by the United States government,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a news release.
A 2024 Justice Department photo shows Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi in a conference room beside weapons and a map of the United States. (Department of Justice)
The indictment alleges that Al-Hassani instructed associates in the United Kingdom to surveil RAF Fairford in August. He reportedly paid one person to film the base’s perimeter.
The group later acquired three vans and fuel barrels, researched chemical accelerants and bought metal items that could serve as explosive shrapnel, prosecutors said. The vans were fitted with commercial decals designed to make them look like vehicles used by fuel delivery and swimming pool supply companies.
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On Sept. 26, Al-Hassani allegedly told the associates to drive the vans toward the base. At least two were stopped at a security roadblock before reaching the facility. British authorities recovered all three vehicles and arrested the occupants the next morning.
Prosecutors say Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani, left, and Mohsen Mohajeri appear in an April 2026 video showing them planning terrorist attacks. (Department of Justice)
Prosecutors also allege that Al-Saadi helped direct the operation from a New York jail, where he was being held while awaiting trial on separate terrorism charges. He allegedly used phone calls with relatives in Iraq to pass coded instructions to his alleged co-conspirators.
During a Sept. 24 call, Al-Saadi allegedly asked about Al-Hassani and told relatives to “give him [al-Hassani] money so we can do it.”
The alleged RAF Fairford operation came after a series of attacks across Europe in March and April that prosecutors say the defendants helped arrange for an Iran-aligned terrorist network. The targets included synagogues, Jewish organizations, ambulances and an Israeli embassy. The attacks also involved the stabbing of two Jewish men in London.
Al-Saadi, who holds Iranian and Iraqi citizenship, was arrested overseas in May before being transferred to U.S. custody. Prosecutors had previously accused him of helping orchestrate roughly 18 attacks in Europe and trying to arrange an assault on a synagogue in Manhattan.
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, circled in red, and Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani, circled in green, appear in a video that prosecutors say shows them directing an attack in Europe. (Department of Justice)
The defendants face charges including conspiracy to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations, terrorism financing and conspiracy to bomb a place of public use. Several of the charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.