US prosecutors have charged three men they call Iranian-backed operatives over the September 2026 plot at RAF Fairford, the Gloucestershire air base that housed American bombers, and over nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States. An eight-count superseding indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, November 10, names Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani. Only al-Saadi is in custody. Prosecutors say he helped steer the Fairford plot from a New York jail by passing coded messages through phone calls to his family.[1][2][3]
 | |
| Court | US District Court, Southern District of New York |
|---|---|
| Unsealed | November 10, 2026 |
| Defendants | Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi (32), Mohsen Mohajeri (48), Mohammad Ali al-Hassani (35) |
| In custody | Al-Saadi only (held in New York since May) |
| Groups named | Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Kata'ib Hizballah, both US-designated terrorist organizations |
| Counts | 8, two with a maximum of life in prison |
| Fairford incident | September 26-27, 2026, Gloucestershire, England |
| Other alleged attacks | 18 in Europe in spring 2026 (7 in the UK), plus attempts in the US |
| Iran's position | Denies any role in the Fairford incident |
What the indictment says
The Justice Department says the three men worked for an Iran-aligned network that includes the IRGC and the Iraqi armed group Kata'ib Hizballah. The new indictment charges them with conspiring to support both groups, supporting acts of terrorism, conspiring to bomb a place of public use and financing terrorism. Al-Saadi alone faces two further counts tied to his alleged attempt to bomb a synagogue in New York.[1][5]
Al-Saadi, 32, holds Iraqi and Iranian citizenship. Mohajeri, 48, is Iranian and is described as an IRGC operative. Al-Hassani, 35, is Iraqi and, according to prosecutors, used his contacts and criminal associates in Britain to carry out attacks there.[1][3] Prosecutors did not say where Mohajeri and al-Hassani are now. CBS News, citing two sources, reported that neither is in custody.[4][5]
How the RAF Fairford plot allegedly worked
According to the indictment, al-Hassani paid a contact in the UK on August 22 to film the perimeter of RAF Fairford and then received videos of the area around the base. In September he allegedly paid several more people to buy vans and barrels of fuel, look into buying chemical accelerants including large amounts of potassium chloride, and buy metal objects that could act as shrapnel. Custom decals were made so the vans looked like they belonged to a fuel delivery firm and a swimming pool supply firm.[1][2]
On September 26, prosecutors say, al-Hassani had three vans driven toward the base, some of them carrying barrels of fuel, and stayed in frequent contact with the drivers. At least two of the vans ran into a security roadblock and could not take their planned route. In the early hours of September 27, UK police recovered the three white vans and arrested the people inside.[1][4]
The BBC reports that the vans were spotted by a local farmer on his way home, who called the police. No explosive materials were found in the vans, but a quantity of petrol was seized.[2] Al Jazeera and France 24 also say the alarm was raised by a farmer who saw men with several white vans acting suspiciously.[3][5]
Coded calls from a New York jail
The part of the case that drew the most attention is the claim that al-Saadi helped coordinate from prison. He was arrested abroad on about May 1 and has been held in New York since he was brought to the US. Prosecutors say no attacks were linked to the three men for roughly four months after that arrest.[1]
The indictment says al-Saadi used phone calls with his mother and sister in Iraq to pass messages to his co-defendants. In June and July, the family allegedly referred to Mohajeri by aliases such as "Sayyid Abbas", and al-Saadi asked his sister whether "our old work" had been cancelled or paused. She replied that "it isn't cancelled". Prosecutors say "work" was his usual word for terrorist activity.[1][4]
On a call on or about September 24, al-Saadi allegedly asked how "Ali", meaning al-Hassani, was doing and told his family to "give him money so we can do it". The Fairford incident happened three days later.[1][4]
The charges and possible sentences
Six of the eight counts apply to all three men. The two most serious, attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries (al-Saadi only) and conspiring to bomb a place of public use (all three), carry a maximum of life in prison. The others carry maximums of 15 or 20 years.[1] These are the statutory limits listed by the Justice Department, not a prediction of any sentence.
Al-Saadi was first charged in May over about 18 attacks in Europe and an alleged plan to bomb a synagogue in Manhattan. He pleaded not guilty in June, called himself a "prisoner of war" and has been held without bail, according to Al Jazeera.[3][1] The new filing adds the Fairford allegations and brings Mohajeri and al-Hassani into the case.[3][5]
The wider campaign: 18 attacks in Europe
Prosecutors say the European attacks were claimed under the name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), which they describe as a front for Kata'ib Hizballah and other designated groups. Of the 18 attacks HAYI claimed in Europe in spring 2026, seven were in the United Kingdom, more than in any other European country. They involved arson, explosives and, in one case, the stabbing of two Jewish men in London, one of them a dual US-British citizen.[1][2]
The indictment describes a meeting in Iraq on about April 6 in which al-Hassani told Mohajeri "we need to get focused on London", with a map of the city on screen. HAYI then claimed six attacks in and around London starting about a week later. Prosecutors also say the men directed attacks live over video calls in mid-April.[1] CBS News and France 24 add that the earlier charges also covered two attacks in Canada.[4][5]
The UK side of the case
The Fairford incident is also a British criminal case. The BBC and Al Jazeera report that seven men were arrested in the UK. Al Jazeera says all were released on bail and two were later re-arrested.[2][3] In October, two British men, both 24, were charged under the National Security Act. One is accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service and was granted conditional bail; the other is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK, linked to an alleged reconnaissance visit to Fairford in August, and was remanded in custody.[6][5]
The US withdrew all of its B-1 bombers from Fairford in the days after the incident.[3][5] The base, in the Cotswolds, has been used by the US Air Force for decades, and B-1 and B-52 bombers flew from it to the Middle East during the conflict with Iran.[2] Separately, flight-tracking data on Tuesday showed the US military had moved at least a dozen aircraft out of a second British base, RAF Mildenhall, after what the Wall Street Journal described as a threat from Iran.[3][5] Our running Iran war explainer covers that move and the wider conflict.
What officials said
- Todd Blanche, US Attorney General: "Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American servicemembers will be prosecuted by the United States government."[1][4]
- Jamie McDonald, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York: the defendants "helped orchestrate a campaign of terror" targeting Jewish communities and RAF Fairford, and the threat from Iran-backed groups "is not hypothetical".[1][3]
- Kash Patel, FBI Director: the indictment "shows the determination of Iran to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the US", and one suspect "allegedly sent coded messages" from detention.[1][2]
- Iranian embassy in London: it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" what it called "unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Iran to the incident.[2] Al Jazeera reported no immediate Iranian comment on the new charges.[3]
What happens next
- Al-Saadi in court: as the only defendant in custody, he is the one who can be arraigned on the new counts. A date had not been published at the time of writing.
- The other two men: Mohajeri and al-Hassani are not in custody, so their part of the case cannot move forward unless they are arrested or handed over.[4]
- UK prosecutions: the two British men charged under the National Security Act face their own court process in England, separate from the US case.[6]
- US bases in Britain: watch for any statement on whether bombers return to Fairford, and on the aircraft moved from Mildenhall.
Frequently asked questions
Who was charged over the RAF Fairford plot?
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, in an indictment unsealed in New York on November 10, 2026.[1]
What happened at RAF Fairford?
On September 26-27, 2026, three white vans, some carrying fuel barrels and disguised with business decals, were driven toward the base. Two were stopped at a roadblock and UK police recovered the vans and arrested the occupants. No explosives were found.[1][2]
Are the suspects in custody?
Only al-Saadi, who has been held in New York since May. CBS News reports that Mohajeri and al-Hassani are not in custody.[4]
Does Iran deny involvement?
Yes. The Iranian embassy in London has rejected any link between Iran and the Fairford incident.[2][3]
What is HAYI?
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, a name used to claim 18 attacks in Europe in spring 2026. US prosecutors call it a front for Kata'ib Hizballah and other designated groups.[1][2]
References
- "Three Iranian-Backed Operatives Indicted for Their Roles in Nearly 20 Terrorist Attacks and Attempted Attacks Across Europe and the United States". US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. November 10, 2026.
- "Three Iran-backed suspects plotted attacks including RAF Fairford incident, US says". BBC News. November 11, 2026.
- "US charges 3 men over alleged Iranian-backed plot at UK Fairford air base". Al Jazeera. November 11, 2026.
- "3 Iran-backed operatives indicted in U.S. for alleged role in terror plot at U.K. air base". CBS News. November 10, 2026.
- "US charges three 'Iranian operatives' over RAF Fairford terror plot". France 24. November 10, 2026.
- "US charges 3 over alleged Iran-linked terror plots". DW. November 11, 2026.