The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has accused three Iran-backed operatives of involvement in a series of terrorist plots across the US and Europe. The alleged conspirators, including Iranian Mohsen Mohajeri, Iraqi national Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, and dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, are said to have orchestrated a terrorist plot at an air force base in the United Kingdom, specifically near RAF Fairford in September. The DOJ alleges that these men were responsible for 18 attacks and attempted attacks, including incidents in London, Amsterdam, Paris, and New York. Some of these incidents were reportedly directed by the men over FaceTime. The accused individuals are charged with acting on behalf of the group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI).
In the UK, seven men have been arrested in connection to the incident at RAF Fairford. Iran has strongly denied any involvement. According to the indictment unsealed by the DOJ on Tuesday, al-Hassani is accused of orchestrating the terrorist plot at RAF Fairford, where a major incident was declared after suspicious vans were reported near the base in September. Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, in April, and a suspect is due to stand trial next year. The indictment also details an arson attack on a Jewish charity in London on 17 April, allegedly directed by al-Hassani over FaceTime.
The DOJ claims that the trio was involved in attacks on the Bank of New York Mellon building in Amsterdam on 15 March and on the Bank of America building in Paris on 28 March. They also attempted to carry out attacks on Jewish institutions in the US, including a synagogue in Manhattan, New York. The FBI Director Kash Patel stated that this eight-count indictment demonstrates Iran's determination to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the US. According to the DOJ, al-Hassani allegedly directed and paid associates in the UK to conduct preparatory steps and arrange logistics for the RAF Fairford terrorist plot in August.
The suspects reportedly gave the vans an appearance of being used by a fuel delivery business and a swimming pool supply business. No explosive materials were found in the vans, but a quantity of petrol was seized. The DOJ alleges that al-Hassani paid individuals to perform pre-operational surveillance of RAF Fairford's perimeter and helped prepare for the plot by procuring vans, barrels of fuel, researching the purchase of chemical accelerants, including large quantities of potassium chloride, and purchasing metallic objects that could be used as explosive shrapnel. The whereabouts of Mohajeri and al-Hassani, who are not in US custody, remain unclear.