The latest:
Three operatives backed by Iran were charged Tuesday with plotting a terrorist attack on RAF Fairford, the British air base where American forces are stationed, the US Justice Department announced. Prosecutors allege the plot was directed by a man already in federal custody in New York, who passed coded messages to two co-defendants through third parties, including his own relatives.
Details:
- The accused: Mohammed Baqir Saad Dawood al-Saadi, an Iraqi national, was charged in May with conspiring to provide material support to Iran-backed terrorist organizations, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kataib Hezbollah. A superseding eight-count indictment unsealed Tuesday adds the alleged coordination of the September attack.
- The co-defendants: The Justice Department named Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national, and Mohammed Ali al-Hasani, an Iraqi national, as al-Saadi’s alleged partners. Two people familiar with the matter told CBS News that neither man is in custody.
- The alleged method: Prosecutors say that beginning in August, al-Saadi directed and paid associates in the United Kingdom to prepare the attack, instructing an unnamed individual to conduct reconnaissance at the base. He later allegedly paid others to arrange trucks and fuel drums, source chemical accelerants and buy metals for use as shrapnel.
- The plan: According to the indictment, three individuals were to drive fuel-laden trucks into RAF Fairford and detonate them. Prosecutors say al-Saadi instructed the drivers to affix custom decals disguising the vehicles as belonging to a fuel delivery or swimming pool supply company.
- The jail calls: In a July phone call, prosecutors say al-Saadi asked his sister to relay messages to Mohajeri about “the work,” a reference to terrorist activity, and whether some of it had been cancelled. His sister replied that it had not been.
- September 24: Prosecutors allege al-Saadi asked about al-Hasani and instructed his family to give him money so the operation could proceed. Two days later, according to the indictment, al-Hasani directed three men to drive vans toward RAF Fairford.
- How it ended: Two of the vans encountered security checkpoints and could not continue to the base, prosecutors said. UK law enforcement recovered three trucks bearing fuel delivery company decals and arrested the drivers.
- The wider allegations: Prosecutors previously alleged al-Saadi planned attacks inside the United States, including against a prominent Jewish institution in New York, and accused him of involvement in planning, executing and promoting some 18 reported attacks in Europe and two in Canada since March against American and Israeli interests.
- The defense: Al-Saadi has pleaded not guilty to all eight counts. In an October 14 court filing, his lawyers argued the claim that he used coded language on family calls rests on speculation and questionable Arabic translations, and said innocent explanations exist for the flagged conversations.
- The denial: Iran has rejected any role in the suspected plot. British politician Andy Burnham said in October it was highly likely the conspiracy was coordinated inside Iran. Attorney General Todd Blanche said anyone plotting a terrorist conspiracy at a military installation housing US armed forces will be prosecuted.
Between the lines:
The indictment frames the alleged plot as retaliation rather than an isolated act: prosecutors tie al-Saadi to attacks across Europe and Canada launched since March against American and Israeli interests. That framing, combined with Fairford’s use by American bombers to strike Iran, positions the base as a target chosen for what it was used for.
What’s next
Watch whether Mohajeri and al-Hasani, neither in custody, are located or extradited, how UK prosecutors handle the arrested drivers, and the court’s ruling on the defense challenge to the translated jail calls.
