US Charges Three Men in Iran-Backed Terror Plot
The United States charged three men for orchestrating an Iran-backed campaign of nearly 20 terror attacks targeting Jewish communities and a British air base.
Federal prosecutors in New York unsealed an indictment on Tuesday charging Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri, and Mohammed Ali al-Hassani with terrorism offenses. The men allegedly operated on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iraqi militia Kata’ib Hezbollah to orchestrate nearly 20 attacks across the United States and Europe, targeting Jewish communities and military installations.
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, allegedly coordinated the network using coded messages while held in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. A primary target was RAF Fairford in England, where associates used vans with fake branding to transport fuel and shrapnel. British authorities intercepted these vehicles on September 26 and 27, leading to seven arrests and prompting the United States Department of the Air Force to redeploy long-range bombing aircraft from the base. Additionally, the military relocated 13 aircraft from RAF Mildenhall to bases in Scotland, Spain, and Germany.
U.S. officials described the plots as part of a broader Iranian campaign of intimidation. This includes recent cyberattacks on French supermarket refrigeration systems and the unveiling of an underground missile city in Iran. In a separate, unrelated matter, British police arrested a senior U.S. Army soldier on suspicion of espionage for Russia. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly moved to a military base following threats against his life.
