3 charged in Iran-linked plot against British air base housing U.S. troops
Three men have been charged in the United States over an alleged Iran-linked plot to attack a British air base where American troops were stationed, according to federal prosecutors. They are also accused of involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the eight-count indictment Tuesday. Prosecutors say the men plotted an attack in September on Royal Air Force Fairford (RAF Fairford), in Fairford, England, while U.S. military personnel and aircraft were stationed there.
Mohammed Ali Al-Hassani, 35, an Iraqi national, allegedly organized the plot from Iran and paid associates in Britain to prepare for it. Prosecutors say he worked with Mohsen Mohajeri, 48, an Iranian national and alleged operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The third defendant, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, a dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen, tried to coordinate with both men from federal custody in New York. Prosecutors say he passed coded messages through relatives in Iraq and asked them in a September 24 call to give Al-Hassani money.
At least two vans headed toward the base were turned back at a security checkpoint on September 26, according to the indictment. British authorities recovered three vans and arrested their occupants early the next morning.
Al-Saadi had been in U.S. custody since his transfer following an arrest abroad in May. He was already facing charges over attacks in Europe and an attempt to bomb a synagogue in Manhattan.
Prosecutors say the three men helped plan attacks claimed by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, which they describe as a front for Kata’ib Hizballah and other terrorist groups.
The group claimed about 18 attacks across Europe in the spring, including about seven in Britain. They included arson, attacks involving explosives and the stabbing of two Jewish men in London, one of whom was a dual U.S.-British citizen.
In a recorded meeting in Iraq, Mohajeri told Al-Hassani, “We need to get focused on London,” according to prosecutors.
The indictment alleges all three men helped direct an attack over a live video call on or about April 17. The next day, Al-Hassani allegedly used another call to direct an attack on a London synagogue.
All three men are charged with conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC and Kata’ib Hizballah, both designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States.
They also face charges of financing terrorism and conspiring to bomb a public place. The bombing conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
