Suspects Planned Fuel Van Strike On US Base
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging three men with plotting an attack on RAF Fairford using disguised vehicles.
By Olivia Miller ·
The Justice Department unsealed an eight-count superseding indictment on Tuesday. The filing charges three men with planning a vehicle-borne attack on a British air base that houses U.S. military personnel.
The defendants are Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri, and Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani. Prosecutors link the trio to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the group Kata'ib Hizballah. They allegedly targeted RAF Fairford in England, where American aircraft and troops were stationed.
Al-Hassani directed associates in the United Kingdom to surveil the base in August. One individual was paid to record video of the perimeter. The group then acquired three vans and barrels of fuel. They researched chemical accelerants and bought metal objects intended to serve as shrapnel. Commercial decals were applied to the vehicles to make them look like fuel delivery and pool supply trucks.
On September 26, Al-Hassani allegedly ordered the vans toward the base. At least two vehicles hit a security roadblock and could not advance. British police recovered all three vans and arrested the occupants the next morning.
Al-Saadi, who was serving time in New York on other terrorism charges, allegedly coordinated the operation by phone. He called family members in Iraq to pass coded messages to his co-conspirators. During a September 24 call, he reportedly asked about Al-Hassani and told relatives, “give him [al-Hassani] money so we can do it.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the U.S. government will prosecute anyone who plans a terrorist plot against a base housing American service members. The indictment notes this plot followed a series of attacks in Europe in March and April. Those earlier incidents targeted synagogues, Jewish organizations, ambulances, and an Israeli embassy.
Al-Saadi is a dual Iranian and Iraqi national. He was arrested abroad in May and transferred to U.S. custody. Prosecutors previously accused him of directing about 18 attacks in Europe. The three defendants now face charges including conspiracy to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations and financing terrorism. Some counts carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
