The US Department of Justice has announced charges against three individuals linked to Iran who are suspected of involvement in a series of plots in the United States and Europe.
BBC reports.
The outlet notes that Iranian agents recently “orchestrated a terrorist plot at an airbase in the United Kingdom”. In particular, it refers to a serious incident in September near RAF Fairford, where US armed forces were stationed.
One of those involved — a man who holds Iranian and Iraqi citizenship — is accused of keeping in contact with accomplices in the UK while in prison in New York, where he is awaiting trial on earlier charges.
Two others are suspected of carrying out similar actions from within Iran.
Iran firmly denies its involvement in the incident at RAF Fairford. Seven people were arrested in the UK in connection with the incident. The episode came to light after suspicious vans were spotted near the airbase.
According to the US Department of Justice, charges have been brought against Iranian citizen Mohsen Mohajeri, Iraqi citizen Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, and Iranian-Iraqi citizen Mohammad Bagher Saad Davoud al-Saadi. The relevant indictment was made public on Tuesday.
Attacks in the Name of the “Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand”
The document claims that this group planned attacks in Europe on behalf of what it describes as a new organisation called “Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya” (“Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand” — HAYI).
“Of the 18 terrorist attacks in spring 2026 for which HAYI claimed responsibility in Europe, seven took place in the United Kingdom,” the Department of Justice said.
It adds that the attacks involved “arson, explosives and, in one case, the near-fatal stabbing in London of two Jews, including a US and UK citizen”.
In April, two Jews were stabbed in Golders Green, north London. The suspect is due to stand trial next year.
“This eight-count indictment demonstrates Iran’s determination to carry out terrorist attacks in Europe and the United States,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
He added that one of the three suspects, while in custody, “likely sent encrypted messages to facilitate future acts of violence”.
Patel said the defendants were linked to nearly 20 attempted attacks carried out in support of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kata’ib Hezbollah.
On 27 September, an emergency was declared near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire (the Cotswolds region) after three suspicious vans were spotted near the base. No explosives were found in the vans, but a quantity of petrol was seized.
The US Department of Justice said that in August al-Hassani likely “directed and paid accomplices” in the UK to “carry out preparatory steps and organise logistics for a terrorist attack at RAF Fairford”.
According to the department, on 22 August al-Hassani paid one person to “conduct preliminary surveillance of the perimeter of RAF Fairford”.
The Department of Justice also claims that in September al-Hassani paid several people to help prepare for the attack. According to the statement, preparations included ‘purchasing vans and fuel barrels, exploring the possibility of buying chemical accelerants (including a large quantity of potassium chloride), and buying metal items that could be used as shrapnel for an explosive device’.
The suspects disguised the vans to make them appear to belong to companies delivering fuel or pool supplies. Al-Hassani “maintained constant contact” with the van drivers and coordinated their movements.
“At least two of the three vans, while heading towards the perimeter of RAF Fairford, encountered a security checkpoint and were then barred from continuing along their planned route,” the department added.
On the morning of 27 September, the vans were spotted by a local farmer returning home from a party; he was the one who called the police.
The Iranian Embassy in London said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” suggestions that Tehran was involved in the incident.
- In October, two UK citizens appeared in court in connection with an alleged plot said to be linked to Iran. After the incident, the US withdrew all its bombers from RAF Fairford. President Donald Trump explained the decision by citing “certain threats” to the base.
- RAF Fairford has been used by the United States Air Force (USAF) for decades.
- In recent months, the US has used the base to deploy B-1 and B-52 bombers to the Middle East to carry out “defensive” strikes against Iran.
- In July, Iran said that “any base used for aggression against Iranian territory is a legitimate target for our armed forces”.