Iran-backed trio accused of plotting attacks on U.K. base hosting U.S. jets

ملخص مفصل

Iran-backed operatives have been charged over nearly 20 attacks, including a plot on a U.K. base housing U.S. troops. Separately, a U.S. soldier is held in the U.K. on Russia spying claims.

A B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Fairford, England, Sept. 29, 2026. Alastair Grant/AP hide caption

Federal prosecutors in New York have charged three men with terrorism offenses over what they describe as an Iran-backed campaign of nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States. The charges include a September plot against a British air base where American forces were stationed.

The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, names Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, who holds Iranian and Iraqi citizenship, Mohsen Mohajeri, 48, an Iranian, and Mohammed Ali Al-Hassani, 35, an Iraqi.

Prosecutors allege the men acted on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iraqi militia Kata'ib Hezbollah to orchestrate, plan and conduct the attacks through a network of associates across Europe and the U.S., targeting Jewish communities and a British base hosting American troops. The indictment cites plots against synagogues in London and in New York. Both Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Kata'ib Hezbollah are designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations.

The court filings describe an operation that was directed, in part, by the suspects who were thousands of miles away. In April, prosecutors have alleged, the three men gathered in a room and watched an attack unfold live on a large screen via Apple's FaceTime video calling app. Al-Hassani allegedly coached the attacker through igniting and hurling a series of seemingly incendiary devices while Al-Saadi filmed.

The following day, Al-Hassani is accused of guiding another man on a video call as he lit an improvised explosive and threw it at a synagogue in London.

The men "helped orchestrate a campaign of terror" on behalf of the two designated terror groups, according to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald.

The United Kingdom seems to have been a central target of the plot allegedly perpetrated by the three men: among the roughly 18…

These…

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