US charges three men in alleged Iran-linked terror plots

U.S. authorities charged three men on Tuesday with plotting nearly 20 attacks on Jewish communities in Europe and the United States, as well as a planned assault on RAF Fairford, a British air base used by the U.S. Air Force.

The charges were outlined in a superseding indictment unsealed in federal court in New York City. The defendants are Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national. Only al-Saadi is in custody, held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

The alleged plots

The indictment alleges the three men conspired to use a network of contacts in the United Kingdom to commit terrorist attacks on behalf of an Iran-aligned terrorist network that included Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kata’ib Hizballah. Both groups are designated by the U.S. government as foreign terrorist organizations.

The alleged attacks included an attempted September terrorist plot at RAF Fairford in western England. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said in a news release that al-Saadi, who was arrested in the spring, continued to coordinate with his co-defendants in the days leading up to the plot.

“These defendants helped orchestrate a campaign of terror on behalf of terrorist organizations affiliated with Iran that targeted Jewish communities in Europe and the United States, and the British military base, RAF Fairford, housing American service members,” said McDonald. “The threat presented by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and our allies is not hypothetical — it is very real.”

Attorney General Todd Blanche said: “Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American service members will be prosecuted by the United States government.”

Communications from jail

Prosecutors allege al-Saadi used coded language in phone and video calls to his mother and sister in Iraq to pass messages encouraging associates to carry out the air base bombing. On a July 30 call, al-Saadi asked his sister, “What are they doing about all our old work?” According to the indictment, he asked whether it had been canceled or just put on pause, to which she responded that “it isn’t canceled.”

On a Sept. 24 call, al-Saadi asked about al-Hassani and instructed his family to “give him money so we can do it,” according to the indictment.

The indictment also alleges that in mid-April, the three men directed an individual to carry out an arson attack on a Jewish charity organization in London while watching it on video projected from a laptop onto a large screen. The next day, they directed another attack on a synagogue in London, with al-Hassani directing the individual to “light it up like a Christmas tree,” the indictment said.

UK incident and response

Five men were detained after midnight on Sept. 27 on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward RAF Fairford. British authorities linked the incident to Tehran, and Iran denied involvement. The arrests prompted the U.S. to withdraw its bombers that had been stationed at the base. The bombers were redeployed to the United States.

RAF Fairford, located 100 miles west of London, has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East.

In June, al-Saadi pleaded not guilty to charges that he plotted at least 18 attacks in Europe in retaliation for the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. He called himself a “prisoner of war.” He has been held without bail since. His lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Why it matters

The case involves alleged coordination from inside a U.S. jail of attacks on a British military base housing American service members, and it follows the withdrawal of U.S. bombers from RAF Fairford after the September incident.

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Sources

• nbcnews.com: U.S. charges 3 men with plotting multiple terrorist attacks, including planned attack against U.K. air base
• spectrumlocalnews.com: U.S. charges 3 men with plotting terror attacks
• dw.com: US charges 3 over alleged Iran-linked terror plots
• clintonherald.com: US charges 3 men with plotting terror attacks, including planned assault on UK air base | National News | clintonherald.com
• gulfcoastnewsnow.com: US charges 3 men over alleged RAF Fairford terror plot - WBBH

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.