The unsealed federal charges arrive after strategic bombers were withdrawn from the British military installation. The site previously housed strategic U.S. Air Force bombers, according to РБК.
Defendants Allegedly Supported Iranian Paramilitary Organizations
The accused include Mohammedi Baker Saad Daoud al-Saadi, who holds dual Iranian and Iraqi citizenship, Iranian citizen Mohsen Mohajeri, and Iraqi citizen Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, TASS reported.
Federal investigators assert the defendants acted in support of the pro-Iranian paramilitary organization Kataib Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The United States government designates both entities as foreign terrorist organizations. Authorities link the network to nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States.
At the time of the latest disclosures, al-Hassani and Mohajeri remained in Iran. Meanwhile, al-Saadi was held in a New York jail. Prosecutors state that al-Saadi attempted to contact co-conspirators by transmitting encrypted messages from his prison cell.
UK Police Arrest Five Near RAF Fairford
In October, the United States military removed all B-1 strategic bombers from RAF Fairford. The base had previously served as a launch point for operations targeting Iran because its geographic position shortened flight distances compared to mainland U.S. deployments.
British police arrested five individuals near RAF Fairford on September 27 on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack. Authorities declared an emergency in the nearby village of Welford and evacuated several residential properties. Police subsequently released those suspects on bail.
On October 1, counterterrorism officers arrested a 25-year-old British-Iranian dual citizen in central London under terrorism legislation. Law enforcement later detained a seventh suspect in connection with the facility plot. British authorities investigated potential involvement by Tehran, though the Iranian government rejected the allegations.
All three defendants named in the U.S. indictment face potential sentences of life imprisonment if convicted.
