Three men accused of ties to Iran-backed militant groups allegedly planned an attack on RAF Fairford, a British air base used by U.S. forces, using vans loaded with fuel barrels, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday by the Justice Department.
The superseding indictment contains eight counts against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani. Prosecutors say the charges relate to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kata’ib Hizballah.
Authorities allege that Al-Hassani arranged for associates in the U.K. to monitor the base in August. One person was reportedly paid to film its perimeter.
The associates later acquired three vans and fuel barrels, looked into chemical accelerants and bought metal items that could serve as shrapnel, prosecutors say. They allegedly added commercial decals to make the vans look like vehicles used by fuel delivery and pool-supply businesses.
On Sept. 26, Al-Hassani allegedly told associates to drive the vans toward the base. At least two were stopped at a security roadblock. British authorities recovered all three vehicles and arrested the occupants the next morning.
Prosecutors also allege that Al-Saadi helped coordinate the plan while jailed in New York awaiting trial on separate terrorism charges. He allegedly used calls with relatives in Iraq to pass coded instructions to the others.
During a call on Sept. 24, Al-Saadi reportedly asked about Al-Hassani and told relatives to give him money so they could carry out the plan.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said anyone plotting an attack on a military base that houses U.S. service members would be prosecuted by the federal government.
The alleged base plot came after a series of attacks in Europe in March and April that prosecutors say the defendants helped organize for an Iran-aligned network. The incidents included attacks on synagogues, Jewish organizations, ambulances and an Israeli embassy, as well as the stabbing of two Jewish men in London.
Al-Saadi, who holds Iranian and Iraqi nationality, was arrested overseas in May and brought to the United States. Prosecutors have previously accused him of helping direct about 18 attacks in Europe and trying to arrange an attack on a Manhattan synagogue.
The defendants face charges including conspiracy to support foreign terrorist organizations, financing terrorism and conspiring to bomb a place of public use. Some of the charges carry a possible life sentence.
