Three Iran-backed suspects plotted attacks including RAF Fairford incident, US says

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced charges against three Iran-backed operatives that it alleges were involved in a string of plots in the US and Europe.

The DOJ said Iranian agents most recently "orchestrated a terrorist plot at an air force base in the United Kingdom", saying they were involved in the major incident in September near RAF Fairford in the UK, where US armed forces were stationed.

One man, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, is accused of communicating with contacts in the UK from a prison in New York where he is awaiting trial on previous charges. The other two are accused of doing the same from Iran.

Iran has strongly denied any involvement in the RAF Fairford incident, which came to light when suspicious vans were reported near the base. Seven men have been arrested in the UK over the incident.

Iranian Mohsen Mohajeri, Iraqi national Mohammad Ali al-Hassani and dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi were charged in an indictment unsealed on Tuesday, the DOJ said.

It accuses the trio of planning attacks in Europe that were carried out under the name of a purportedly new group with the pseudonym Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand - HAYI).

"Of the 18 terrorist attacks in the spring of 2026 for which HAYI claimed responsibility in Europe, seven took place in the UK," the DOJ statement said. It added that the attacks involved "arsons, explosives, and in one instance, a near-fatal stabbing in London of two Jewish men, including a dual US-British citizen".

Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, in April. A suspect is due to stand trial next year.

"This eight-count indictment shows the determination of Iran to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the US," FBI Director Kash Patel said.

He added that one of the three "allegedly sent coded messages to assist in future acts of violence" from detention.

Patel said the accused were involved in nearly 20 attempted attacks in support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.

A major incident was declared on 27 September near the UK's RAF Fairford base, in the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, after three suspicious vans were seen near the airbase.

No explosive materials were found in the vans, but a quantity of petrol was seized.

The DOJ said that in August, al-Hassani "allegedly directed and paid associates" in the UK to "conduct preparatory steps and arrange logistics for the RAF Fairford terrorist plot".

On 22 August, al-Hassani paid one individual to "perform pre-operational surveillance of RAF Fairford's perimeter", the department said.

In September, al-Hassani paid several people to help him prepare for the plot, the DOJ also alleged.

According to its statement, this included "procuring vans and 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 suspects then gave the vans an appearance of being used by a fuel delivery business and a swimming pool supply business, the DOJ stated.

"On 26 September, al-Hassani allegedly tasked individuals to drive three vans, some of which were later determined to contain barrels of fuel, to the RAF Fairford base."

The DOJ also said al-Hassani was "in frequent communication" with the van drivers and helped to direct them where to drive.

"At least two of the three vans, while en route to the perimeter of RAF Fairford, encountered a security roadblock and were not allowed to proceed on their intended route," it added.

It was in the very early hours of 27 September, that the vans were spotted by a local farmer who was heading home from a party, and called the police.