Three Men Charged in U.S. for Plotting Attacks on Jewish Communities and RAF Base
A superseding indictment in New York charges three men with plotting nearly 20 attacks on Jewish communities and a British airbase, alleging coordination by an Iran-supported network.
By Evelyn Adeyemi ·
U.S. federal authorities unsealed a superseding indictment in Manhattan on Tuesday, charging three men with planning nearly twenty terrorist attacks. The defendants are accused of being operatives supported by Iran who targeted Jewish communities in both Europe and the United States. The plot also included a specific assault on a British airbase that was hosting American military personnel.
The charges name Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national, and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national. Of the three, only al-Saadi is currently in custody. He was arrested in the spring and has been held without bail since pleading not guilty to earlier charges in June.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald stated in a news release that al-Saadi allegedly continued to coordinate the operations from jail in the days leading up to the attempted September attack. The target was RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, a base where U.S. bombers and troops had been stationed. McDonald described the threat from Iran and its affiliated groups as real and significant for America and its allies.
The indictment provides new details on the incident that occurred on September 27. On that date, five men were detained after midnight following reports of three suspicious vans moving toward the base in western England. They were charged with explosives and terrorism offenses. A sixth suspect, a British-Iranian dual national, was arrested several days later. All six men were subsequently released on bail by British authorities.
British investigators linked the RAF Fairford incident to Tehran. Although Iran initially denied involvement, the arrests led the United States to withdraw its bombers from the base. The aircraft were redeployed to their home bases in the United States. RAF Fairford, located 160 kilometers west of London, has served as a key location for American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East.
According to the new documents, al-Saadi allegedly used coded language in communications with relatives while in jail. He directed that money be passed to others who were tasked with carrying out the attacks. The three men are accused of conspiring to use a network of contacts in the United Kingdom to commit these acts on behalf of an Iran-aligned terrorist network.
The network included the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kata'ib Hezbollah. Both organizations have been designated by the U.S. government as foreign terrorist organizations. U.S. prosecutors identified al-Saadi as a commander within Kata'ib Hezbollah.
Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the commitment of the U.S. government to prosecute those who plot against military bases housing American service members. Al-Saadi had previously called himself a prisoner of war during his June court appearance. His legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the new charges on Tuesday.
