US charges three over alleged Iran-backed plots linked to RAF Fairford incident
US prosecutors accuse three men of involvement in plots across the US and Europe, including an alleged operation near RAF Fairford that Iran denies supporting.
By Hassan Ellis ·
The US Department of Justice has announced charges against three alleged Iran-backed operatives over plots in the United States and Europe, linking them to September's security incident near RAF Fairford in Britain. Iran has strongly denied involvement in the incident at the Gloucestershire base, where US forces were stationed.
An indictment unsealed on Tuesday names Iranian Mohsen Mohajeri, Iraqi national Mohammad Ali al-Hassani and dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi. Prosecutors accuse al-Saadi of communicating with contacts in Britain from a New York prison while awaiting trial on earlier charges. The other two men allegedly communicated with contacts in Britain from Iran.
The indictment alleges that the three planned attacks in Europe carried out under the name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI, a purportedly new group. According to the department, HAYI claimed responsibility for 18 attacks across Europe in spring 2026, seven of them in Britain. These included arson, explosives and the near-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London's Golders Green in April. One victim was a dual US-British citizen. A suspect in the stabbing is due to face trial next year.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the eight-count indictment concerned nearly 20 attempted attacks in support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah. He also alleged that one of the accused used coded messages sent from detention to help facilitate future violence.
The allegations concerning Fairford describe preparations beginning in August. Prosecutors say al-Hassani directed and paid associates in Britain to arrange logistics, including paying someone on 22 August to survey the base's perimeter. In September, he allegedly paid several people to obtain vans and fuel barrels, investigate purchases of chemical accelerants, including large amounts of potassium chloride, and buy metal objects that could serve as explosive shrapnel.
The department said the vans were made to look as though they belonged to fuel delivery and swimming pool supply businesses. It alleges that al-Hassani instructed individuals on 26 September to drive three vans to Fairford, with some later found to contain fuel barrels. He allegedly remained in frequent contact with the drivers and helped direct their movements. At least two vans encountered a security roadblock that prevented them from continuing along their intended route.
A local farmer returning from a party spotted the vans in the early hours of 27 September and contacted police. Authorities declared a major incident near the Cotswolds airbase. No explosives were discovered in the vehicles, although petrol was seized. Seven men have been arrested in Britain over the incident, and two British nationals appeared in court in October in connection with the alleged plot.
Iran's embassy in London has rejected suggestions of Iranian involvement, describing them as unfounded and malicious. Following the incident, the United States removed all its bombers from Fairford. President Donald Trump attributed that decision to threats against the base.
The US Air Force has operated from Fairford for decades. In recent months, B-1 and B-52 bombers flew from the base to the Middle East for strikes on Iran described as defensive. Iran said in July that any base used to attack its territory would be regarded as a legitimate military target.
