The US Department of Justice announced an eight-count indictment against three men it described as Iran-backed operatives: Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian; Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national; and Mohammad Ali Mohammad, a dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen accused of communicating with contacts in Britain from a prison in Iraq. The department accused the trio of planning attacks in Europe carried out under the name of a purported movement called HAYI, and FBI Director Kash Patel said the accused were involved in nearly 20 attempted attacks in support of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
On RAF Fairford, the department alleged that in August al-Hassani directed and paid associates in Britain to prepare a coordinated attack on the base, including surveillance on August 22 and, in September, procuring vans and barrels of fuel and researching weapons purchases. On September 26 three vans, some laden with fuel, were allegedly driven toward the base; at least two encountered security personnel and fled, and the abandoned vans were found in the village of Fairford in the early hours of September 27, with petrol seized and no explosive materials found. President Donald Trump has said the US withdrew all its bombers from Fairford after the incident because of threats to the base. Iran’s embassy in London said it categorically rejects what it called baseless accusations.