US Charges Three 'Iranian Operatives' Over Alleged Terror Plot at RAF Fairford Air Base

The US Justice Department has charged three men it described as "Iranian operatives" over an alleged terrorist plot at RAF Fairford, the British air base that housed American B-1 bombers during the war against Iran. The eight-count superseding indictment was unsealed on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, in Manhattan federal court — and prosecutors say one of the men directed the plot from inside a New York jail cell.

What happened at RAF Fairford?

According to the US charging document, the plot centred on RAF Fairford in southwest England, a long-standing European operating base for US Air Force bombers that was used during the bombing campaign against Iran earlier this year. In late September 2026, British police were called to the base after a local farmer reported a group of men with several white vans engaged in "suspicious activity" near the site.

Prosecutors allege that Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, a 35-year-old Iraqi national, directed unnamed individuals to drive the vans — some carrying barrels of fuel — toward the base. He is accused of earlier paying the group to buy metallic objects that could be turned into shrapnel in an explosion, and of disguising the vehicles as fuel-delivery trucks. British police recovered three vans in the early hours of September 27 and arrested their occupants. Five men from London were arrested near the installation at Whelford on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences, and UK police last month charged two British men with national security offences linked to the incident — one with assisting a foreign intelligence service, believed to be Iran, and another with entering a prohibited place.

The plot failed. No explosion took place and no one was hurt. But days after the September incident, the United States withdrew all of its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford. Flight-tracking data showed on Tuesday that the US military had also removed at least a dozen aircraft from a second British base, RAF Mildenhall, following what the Wall Street Journal said was a threat from Iran.

Who are the three men charged?

The three men named in the indictment are:

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32 — a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, already in US custody in New York since May 2026 on terrorism charges. Prosecutors say he passed coded messages to his co-defendants to coordinate the Fairford plot, allegedly using coded family telephone calls from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Mohsen Mohajeri, 48 — an Iranian national described by prosecutors as an operative of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, 35 — an Iraqi national accused of financing surveillance of the base in August and pushing the plan forward in September.

Prosecutors have not disclosed the whereabouts of Mohajeri and al-Hassani. Only al-Saadi is in custody.

What are they charged with?

The eight-count indictment charges all three men with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorist groups — Kata'ib Hizballah and the IRGC — conspiring and providing material support for acts of terrorism, and conspiring to bomb a place of public use. Al-Saadi is additionally charged with attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosive.

"Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American servicemembers will be prosecuted by the United States government," Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on Tuesday.

US Attorney Jamie McDonald said the investigation uncovered an alleged network targeting Jewish communities and military facilities in several countries.

A wider campaign of nearly 20 attacks, prosecutors say

The Fairford plot is only one part of what prosecutors describe as a much wider campaign. US authorities first detailed charges against al-Saadi in May 2026, accusing him of directing and urging others to attack US and Israeli interests, and to kill Americans and Jews, in retaliation for the US-Israeli war against Iran.

He and associates were said to have planned, coordinated and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe, and two in Canada. Examples cited by prosecutors included the non-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London in April 2026, as well as several arson attacks on synagogues, Israeli businesses and Jewish schools in Amsterdam, Munich and elsewhere.

The indictment says the network's alleged activities continued even while al-Saadi was behind bars — a detail that is likely to become a central focus of the case as it moves through the Manhattan federal court.

Why this matters now

The charges land at a tense moment. The war between the US and Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, has effectively ended as a shooting war, according to President Donald Trump, but the US naval blockade and Operation Iron Gate remain in place, and Tehran has warned repeatedly of retaliation. The Fairford case — a plot allegedly directed from a US prison cell against a base housing American bombers — shows how the conflict has spilled into covert operations far from the battlefield, including inside the United States and its allies.

The case also underlines the scale of the alleged network: nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and North America, according to prosecutors, with the Fairford incident as the most recent and most ambitious. Iran has strongly denied any involvement in the RAF Fairford incident.

For the US, the prosecution is also a message. As the Justice Department put it, the men are accused of acting in support of the IRGC and Kata'ib Hizballah — two groups the US designates as terrorist organisations — and the case is being pursued in Manhattan federal court even though the alleged plot targeted a base in England.

What happens next?

Al-Saadi remains in federal custody in New York. The Justice Department has not said when Mohajeri and al-Hassani might be arrested or extradited, or whether additional charges are expected. British authorities continue their own case against the two men charged in the UK last month, and the investigation into the wider network is ongoing.

The case is expected to be closely watched in Washington and London, not least because of the extraordinary allegation at its heart: that a man already jailed on terrorism charges in the United States was able to direct an attack on a British air base housing American bombers from inside his prison cell.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is RAF Fairford?

RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, southwest England. It serves as a European operating base for US Air Force bombers and was used by the United States during its bombing campaign against Iran in 2026.

Who was charged in the RAF Fairford plot?

Three men were charged in an eight-count superseding indictment unsealed on November 10, 2026: Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, 48, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, 35, an Iraqi national.

What happened at RAF Fairford in September 2026?

British police were called after a farmer reported suspicious activity involving several white vans near the base. Three vans, some carrying barrels of fuel, were recovered in the early hours of September 27 and their occupants arrested. No explosion took place.

How many attacks is the network accused of?

Prosecutors say al-Saadi and associates planned, coordinated and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe and two in Canada, including the stabbing of two Jewish men in London in April 2026 and arson attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools.

Is anyone in custody?

Al-Saadi has been in US federal custody in New York since May 2026. Prosecutors have not disclosed the whereabouts of Mohajeri and al-Hassani.

What did Iran say about the plot?

Iran has strongly denied any involvement in the RAF Fairford incident. The US Justice Department describes the three men as "Iranian operatives" acting in support of the IRGC and Kata'ib Hizballah.

Search This Blog

TrendWire Daily