The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially announced criminal charges against three Iran-backed operatives, alleging their involvement in a series of international terrorist plots, including a targeted attempt against a military installation in the United Kingdom. The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, identifies the accused as Iranian national Mohsen Mohajeri, Iraqi citizen Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, and Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, who holds dual Iranian-Iraqi citizenship.
According to the DOJ, the trio orchestrated a terrorist plot focused on RAF Fairford in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, where US forces were stationed. This alleged operation came to public attention on 27 September, when local police were alerted to three suspicious vans operating near the perimeter of the airbase. While no explosives were discovered during the subsequent search of the vehicles, authorities did seize a quantity of petrol. The incident prompted a significant security response, with armed police officers deployed to the site.
The DOJ alleges that al-Hassani played a central role in coordinating the logistics for the Fairford operation. Starting in August, he reportedly paid associates in the UK to conduct pre-operational surveillance of the base perimeter. By September, the planning involved the procurement of vans, fuel barrels, and chemical accelerants, including large quantities of potassium chloride, alongside metallic components intended for use as explosive shrapnel. The suspects reportedly disguised the vans to resemble those of a fuel delivery business and a swimming pool supply company. On 26 September, al-Hassani allegedly directed drivers to move the vans toward the airbase, though at least two encountered a security roadblock that prevented them from reaching their intended destination. It was in the early hours of 27 September that a local farmer, returning from a party, spotted the vans and alerted the police.
The Iranian government has issued a firm denial regarding these accusations. The Iranian embassy in London characterized the allegations as "unfounded and malicious speculations" and stated that it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" any link between the state and the incident at RAF Fairford. Following the security event, the US military withdrew all of its bombers from the base. President Donald Trump cited "some threats" to the facility as the reasoning behind the relocation of the aircraft. RAF Fairford has historically been a critical site for the US Air Force, having recently served as a launch point for B-1 and B-52 bombers conducting defensive strikes in the Middle East. In July, Iran had warned that any base used for aggression against its territory would be considered a legitimate target.
Beyond the Fairford plot, the DOJ indictment alleges that the three men were involved in nearly 20 attempted attacks across Europe and the US, acting in support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah. These operations were reportedly conducted under the name of a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand – HAYI). The DOJ claims HAYI took responsibility for 18 terrorist attacks in Europe during the spring of 2026, seven of which occurred in the UK, involving arson, explosives, and a near-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, London, in April. FBI Director Kash Patel stated that one of the accused, currently detained in a New York prison on unrelated charges, continued to facilitate violence by sending coded messages to contacts. Two British nationals have already appeared in court regarding the alleged Iran-linked plot, and a suspect in the Golders Green stabbing is due to stand trial next year.
