American authorities say an Iraqi man coordinated a suspected Iranian terrorist operation targeting the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford base in Gloucestershire, England, from a New York jail via FaceTime. The Department of Justice has brought terrorism charges against three suspects: dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Iranian national Mohsen Mohajeri, and Iraqi national Mohammad Ali al-Hassani.
Prosecutors link the men to almost 20 separate attacks and failed plots spanning Europe and the United States. Al-Hassani, aged 35, is specifically accused of leading the September effort against RAF Fairford, which resulted in U.S. bombers evacuating the site.
Remote Direction.
British police detained six British nationals and one man holding both Iranian and British citizenship after reports of three unusual vehicles near RAF Fairford. They were subsequently released on bail, causing consternation among U.S. officials, who later evacuated the base, followed by another earlier this week. According to U.S. prosecutors, al-Hassani and Mohajeri remained inside Iran throughout and depended on associates already present in Britain.
Al-Saadi, already held in a New York federal jail on unrelated terrorism accusations, is said to have attempted contact with the others from his cell by sending coded notes through intermediaries. He faces eight terrorism charges.
“This eight-count indictment shows the determination of Iran to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the U.S., including one plot that was recently prevented at RAF Fairfield, a British Royal Air Force Base where American forces were stationed,” commented FBI Director Kash Patel.
“According to the indictment, one of the subjects is behind bars awaiting trial yet he allegedly sent coded messages to assist in future acts of violence. To date, the subjects have been allegedly involved in nearly 20 attempted attacks throughout Europe and the United States in support of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (‘IRGC’), two U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations,” he added.
Logistics and Surveillance.
The Justice Department states that al-Hassani provided funds and instructions for advance work, including logistical arrangements and reconnaissance of the airbase. He allegedly told associates to secure vans and fuel barrels, look into acquiring large amounts of potassium chloride and other chemical accelerants, and obtain metal items suitable as shrapnel. He is accused of ordering the three vans driven toward the base while staying in constant contact to guide their route on the intended day of the operation. Police officers found the vehicles shortly after midnight on September 27.
Tehran has rejected any connection to the suspected RAF Fairford plot.
