US prosecutors have accused three men linked to Iran-aligned armed groups of taking part in a campaign of nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States, including the alleged RAF Fairford plot, a September operation targeting the British air base used by American forces. A superseding indictment unsealed in Manhattan on November 10 alleges that one defendant continued coordinating with associates from a US prison through coded conversations with relatives.
The filing provides the most detailed public account yet of the suspected operation near the Gloucestershire base. It alleges that an operative in Iran arranged surveillance of the perimeter, recruited contacts in Britain, paid for vehicles and fuel, and directed the movement of three vans towards the installation. British police stopped the vehicles during the early hours of September 27 and arrested occupants. The US indictment is an allegation, not a judicial finding, and all three defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted.
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. The US Department of Justice says they acted in support of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both designated foreign terrorist organizations by the United States. Prosecutors allege the network was involved in nearly 20 attacks or attempted attacks in Europe and the United States, including incidents directed at Jewish communities.
The Fairford operation is described as the latest plot in the indictment. Prosecutors allege that al-Hassani, who was in Iran at the time, directed the British operation with assistance from Mohajeri. Al-Saadi was already in federal custody in New York awaiting trial on earlier terrorism charges. The indictment says he tried to communicate with the other two through coded messages passed during telephone calls with members of his family in Iraq.
According to the filing, al-Hassani began arranging preparatory activity in August. On August 22, he allegedly paid an associate to conduct surveillance around RAF Fairford and send him videos of the perimeter. The associate is said to have referred to al-Hassani as “Ali.” Prosecutors allege that the surveillance was followed by the purchase or preparation of vans, fuel containers, and other materials that could have been used in an attack.
The indictment says the organizers sought to make the vans appear to belong to commercial businesses. Decals were allegedly commissioned for a fuel-delivery company and a swimming-pool supply business. Investigators say the vehicles were prepared with barrels of fuel and that associates were asked to research chemical accelerants and acquire metal objects that could be used as shrapnel. These details are allegations in the court filing; they do not establish that an explosive device was assembled or that the vans reached the base’s perimeter.
On September 26, al-Hassani allegedly directed associates to drive three vans towards RAF Fairford. At least two encountered a security roadblock and could not continue along their intended route. Prosecutors say al-Hassani remained in contact with the drivers as their movements changed. In the early hours of September 27, British law enforcement officers recovered three white vans bearing the commercial-style markings and arrested their occupants.
The indictment also describes a telephone call on September 24 between al-Saadi and his immediate family. Prosecutors allege that he asked about “Ali” and was told the person had been moved to an international section of a facility. Al-Saadi then allegedly told relatives to give him money “so we can do it.” The government says the call formed part of a coded communication chain intended to keep the Fairford operation moving while al-Saadi was in prison.
The September incident initially drew attention after three vans were seen moving towards the air base and British police detained five men. Nearby residents were evacuated while specialist officers examined the vehicles. A sixth suspect was arrested later in the investigation. British authorities said the inquiry involved possible terrorism and national security offenses, but the men were released on bail and had not been convicted.
The US filing adds an alleged foreign-command structure to the episode. It says al-Hassani and Mohajeri were in Iran while contacts in Britain handled logistics. The US authorities allege that the operation was part of a wider network connected to Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC. Iran has denied involvement in the Fairford incident, and the indictment’s claims have not been tested at trial.
RAF Fairford has long been used by US aircraft, including B-1 bombers deployed during military operations in the Middle East. The September security incident was followed by the withdrawal of bombers from the base. The aircraft movement did not itself establish that an attack was imminent, but it showed how a suspected threat to a facility on British soil could affect American force posture.
The new case is also distinct from the recent relocation of aircraft from RAF Mildenhall. That movement was reported separately as a precaution after a threat assessment. The Metropolitan Police has said that the Russia-related arrest of a US Army member near Gloucester is not connected to the Fairford inquiry. The separate investigations should not be combined into a single narrative without evidence.
Also read: UK Police Declare Major Incident Near RAF Fairford After Explosives Arrests
Also read: RAF Mildenhall Aircraft Move Follows Reported Iran Threat
The superseding indictment goes beyond the Fairford episode. Prosecutors allege that the three men were involved in a series of attacks and attempted attacks carried out in the name of a group using the pseudonym Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI. The Justice Department says the group functioned as a front for Kata’ib Hizballah and other designated organizations. It alleges that 18 attacks in the spring of 2026 were claimed in Europe, seven of them in the United Kingdom.
The court filing describes alleged attacks involving arson, explosives, and violence against Jewish targets. It also alleges that the defendants used propaganda videos and online claims of responsibility to amplify the campaign. Prosecutors say some operations were coordinated in real time through video calls, with alleged organizers watching or directing people carrying out attacks. Those claims form part of the broader indictment and should be treated as allegations rather than established facts.
Al-Saadi had already been charged in the United States in connection with earlier alleged attacks and an attempted bombing of a synagogue in New York. The Justice Department says he was arrested abroad in May and transferred to US custody. He has pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges. The new indictment adds allegations involving the Fairford operation and the other defendants; it does not amount to a conviction on any count.
The eight-count indictment includes conspiracy to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, conspiracy to provide support for acts of terrorism, attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, conspiracy to bomb a place of public use, attempted destruction of property by fire or explosive, and financing terrorism. The maximum penalties listed by prosecutors are substantial, but any sentence would depend on a conviction, the applicable law, and a judge’s decision.
The allegations raise questions about how a transnational network could use relatives, commercial fronts, and prison communications to maintain contact across borders. The case also shows why investigators often need to combine evidence gathered in different jurisdictions. British police handled the vehicles and arrests near Fairford, while US prosecutors are pursuing charges against three alleged organizers under American terrorism statutes.
Several important questions remain unresolved. The public filing does not establish that a completed explosive device was recovered at the base. It does not show that the vans reached a position from which an attack could be carried out. It also does not establish whether every person arrested in Britain was acting knowingly or whether all the alleged contacts understood the wider purpose of the operation.
The British investigation continues separately from the US prosecution. The release of suspects on bail is not an acquittal, but it is also not proof of guilt. The American indictment may be used to seek cooperation, evidence, or extradition-related steps, although the precise procedural path for each defendant will depend on where they are located and the legal arrangements between the countries involved.
For RAF Fairford, the immediate operational questions concern perimeter security, access controls, surveillance, and the protection of aircraft and personnel. For the United States and Britain, the case is a test of how quickly intelligence about a suspected foreign-backed network can be converted into evidence that will withstand scrutiny in court. The indictment has made the allegations more specific; it has not ended the investigation or settled the defendants’ guilt.