US Charges 3 Men Over Iran-Backed Plot on UK Base Housing American Troops

Federal prosecutors in New York have charged three men over what they describe as an Iran-backed campaign of nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States, including a September plot against RAF Fairford, a British air base that hosted U.S. forces. The indictment was unsealed Tuesday.

According to the Associated Press, one of the men, already jailed in Brooklyn, allegedly directed the network by passing coded messages to relatives in Iraq during monitored phone calls. Iran has denied involvement in the Fairford incident, Al Jazeera reported.

Who is charged and what they are accused of

The indictment names Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, who holds Iranian and Iraqi citizenship; Mohsen Mohajeri, 48, an Iranian; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, 35, an Iraqi. Prosecutors say they acted for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah. Both groups are designated by the U.S. government as foreign terrorist organizations, and prosecutors say al-Saadi was a Kataib Hezbollah commander.

Al-Saadi is in U.S. custody. Mohajeri and al-Hassani are not, and prosecutors did not disclose where they are. NPR reported that the indictment places al-Hassani in Iran while he directed the Fairford effort.

The indictment describes plots against Jewish communities, including synagogues in London and New York, as well as the British base. NPR reported that as many as seven of roughly 18 attacks claimed last spring by a group prosecutors call a front for Kataib Hezbollah took place in the U.K. Those included arson, explosives and a near-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in London, one of them a dual U.S.-British citizen.

How the case unfolded

Mid-April: According to the indictment, the three men watched an arson attack on a Jewish charity in London live on a large screen via video. The next day, al-Hassani allegedly guided another man through an attack on a London synagogue.
May: Al-Saadi was detained abroad and brought to the U.S. Authorities first detailed charges against him, accusing him of directing attacks on U.S., Israeli and Jewish targets in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
June: Al-Saadi pleaded not guilty to charges of plotting at least 18 attacks in Europe and called himself a “prisoner of war.” He has been held without bail.
July 30: In a recorded call, al-Saadi asked his sister about “old work.” She replied that it was not canceled, according to the indictment.
August: Al-Hassani began paying associates in Britain to film the perimeter of RAF Fairford, NPR reported. Prosecutors say the group obtained vans and drums of fuel and gathered metal items that could serve as shrapnel. The vans carried sham branding for a fuel delivery firm and a pool supply company.
Sept. 24: Al-Saadi allegedly told his family to give al-Hassani money “so we can do it.”
Sept. 26-27: Three vans headed toward the base. NPR reported that at least two were stopped at a security roadblock and that British authorities seized all three early the next morning and arrested those inside.
Days later: The U.S. withdrew its B-1 bombers from Fairford and redeployed them to the United States, according to Al Jazeera and the AP.
Tuesday: The new indictment added the Fairford plot to the case against al-Saadi and charged the two other men.

The jailhouse calls

Prosecutors say al-Saadi used the word “work” for terrorist activity and told relatives to pass messages to Mohajeri, to whom he said he owed money. NPR reported that others on the calls used the phrase “international section” to mean overseas travel.

The AP reported that the calls were monitored and recorded by the FBI. In September, al-Saadi's lawyer complained that some calls were cut off without explanation. Citing concerns about coded language, the government then limited him to a single hourlong call each month. Al-Saadi's lawyers did not immediately respond to the AP's requests for comment.

What happened in Britain

Seven men were arrested in the U.K. over the Fairford incident and released on bail. Two were later re-arrested on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service and charged under the National Security Act, according to British authorities cited by the AP. Al Jazeera reported that police were first called after a local farmer saw a group of men with several white vans acting suspiciously.

Why it matters: bases, communities and the official response

The case bears directly on the safety of U.S. service members stationed abroad and of Jewish communities in both countries. The U.S. has used RAF Fairford to deploy bombers in its war against Iran, Al Jazeera reported, and American bombers have operated from it during decades of Middle East conflicts, the AP said. The bombers' withdrawal shows how the incident changed the base's use.

The case also shows how U.S. and British authorities say a network can be run remotely. Prosecutors allege orders traveled by video call from Iran and from a U.S. jail cell to people carrying out attacks in Britain.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said the threat from Iran and the groups it backs to America and its allies is “not hypothetical — it is very real.” Attorney General Todd Blanche said anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American service members will be prosecuted. Al Jazeera reported there was no immediate comment from Iran on the new charges.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Al Jazeera, FOX5 Vegas, NPR

Cover photo: Vieve Forward / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped

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