Three Iran-backed men charged over RAF Fairford terror plot and UK attacks
The US DOJ has charged three Iran-linked operatives over a foiled plot at RAF Fairford and 18 attacks across Europe, including stabbings in London.
US charges three Iran-backed operatives over RAF Fairford plot and wave of UK attacks
The US Department of Justice has unsealed an eight-count indictment against three men it alleges orchestrated a terrorist plot targeting RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire last September, as well as a broader campaign of attacks across the UK and Europe, BBC News reports.
The three accused — Iranian national Mohsen Mohajeri, Iraqi national Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, and dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi — are alleged to have acted on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah. The charges were unsealed on Tuesday.
One of the men, al-Saadi, is currently held in a New York prison awaiting trial on separate charges. The DOJ alleges he communicated with associates in the UK from his cell. The other two are accused of coordinating operations from Iran.
The RAF Fairford plot
A major incident was declared on 27 September near RAF Fairford — the Cotswolds airbase used by US armed forces for decades — after three suspicious vans were spotted close to its perimeter. A local farmer returning from a party in the early hours of that morning alerted police after noticing the vehicles.
No explosive materials were recovered from the vans, though a quantity of petrol was seized. Armed officers were subsequently posted outside the base.
According to the DOJ, al-Hassani began directing the operation as early as August. On 22 August, he allegedly paid an individual to carry out pre-operational surveillance of RAF Fairford's perimeter. In the weeks that followed, he is said to have paid several further associates to procure vans and barrels of fuel, research the purchase of chemical accelerants including large quantities of potassium chloride, and acquire metallic objects capable of being used as explosive shrapnel.
The vans were then disguised to resemble vehicles belonging to a fuel delivery business and a swimming pool supply company. On 26 September, al-Hassani allegedly directed three individuals to drive the vans towards the base. At least two of the vehicles encountered a security roadblock and were turned back before reaching their intended destination. Seven men have since been arrested in the UK in connection with the incident. Two British nationals appeared in court last month over the alleged plot.
The US withdrew all its bombers from RAF Fairford following the incident. President Donald Trump cited "some threats" to the base as the reason for the withdrawal.
A wider campaign of violence
The indictment places the RAF Fairford plot within a broader series of attacks attributed to a front group operating under the name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya — also known as HAYI, described in the charges as the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.
"Of the 18 terrorist attacks in the spring of 2026 for which HAYI claimed responsibility in Europe, seven took place in the UK," the DOJ statement said. Those attacks involved arsons, the use of explosives, and what the department described as "a near-fatal stabbing in London of two Jewish men, including a dual US-British citizen".
The stabbing occurred in Golders Green, north London, in April. A suspect in that case is due to stand trial next year.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the accused were linked to nearly 20 attempted attacks in support of Iranian-backed forces. He added that one of the three "allegedly sent coded messages to assist in future acts of violence" while in detention. "This eight-count indictment shows the determination of Iran to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the US," Patel said.
Iran denies involvement
Iran has consistently denied any role in the RAF Fairford incident. The Iranian embassy in London said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" what it called "unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Iran to the events near the Gloucestershire base.
RAF Fairford has long served as a staging point for US Air Force operations. In recent months, B-1 and B-52 bombers flew from the base to the Middle East for what Washington described as "defensive" strikes against Iranian targets. In July, Tehran warned that any base used for attacks on Iranian territory would constitute "a legitimate target" for its forces.
Source: BBC News