World Affairs
US indictment says jailed suspect relayed messages in Fairford plot
Prosecutors say Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi used calls to his family to pass messages while two co-defendants prepared the alleged operation in Britain.
Executive summary
- A new federal filing: A superseding indictment charges al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammed Ali al-Hassani in an eight-count case. Prosecutors say the men were part of an Iran-aligned network involved in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States.[1][2][1][2]
- Messages from a New York jail: The indictment alleges al-Saadi used calls with family members in Iraq to pass coded messages to two co-defendants before the September operation at RAF Fairford. It says associates sent three vans toward the base, where at least two encountered a security roadblock.[1][2][1][2]
- Separate UK proceedings: British police said searches found no improvised explosive devices and recovered petrol. Two other men later faced separate UK National Security Act charges connected to the Fairford investigation.[3][4][3][4]
A federal superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday charges three men with planning a September plot against RAF Fairford and alleges that one of them used coded calls from a New York jail to coordinate with co-defendants before vans headed toward the Gloucestershire base.[1][2][1][2]
The eight-count filing names Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammed Ali al-Hassani. Prosecutors allege the three worked with an Iran-aligned network and were involved in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States. Al-Saadi had already faced federal charges over alleged attacks in Europe and a planned bombing of a Manhattan synagogue.[1][2][1][2]
The Associated Press reported that Mohajeri and al-Hassani are not in U.S. custody; it did not report their current locations.[2][2]
Al-Saadi had been in U.S. custody since his arrest abroad in May, the indictment says. It alleges that he used calls with his mother and sister in Iraq to pass messages to Mohajeri and al-Hassani. Prosecutors say he used the word “work” for terrorist activity and told relatives in a July call to relay questions about whether earlier plans had been paused or canceled.[1][2][1][2]
In a Sept. 24 call, al-Saadi asked about al-Hassani and allegedly told relatives to give him money for the plan, according to the indictment. Three days later, UK police arrested occupants of vans near the base. The filing says Mohajeri and al-Hassani were in Iran during the alleged plot and relied on contacts in Britain.[1][2][1][2]
The indictment says al-Hassani began paying associates in August to conduct surveillance around RAF Fairford. It alleges that, in September, those associates arranged logistics for the plot and that al-Hassani directed drivers toward the base in three vans. At least two vehicles encountered a security roadblock and were not allowed to continue on their intended route, the filing says.[1][1]
UK Counter Terrorism Policing said its examination of the vehicles found no improvised explosive devices, though officers recovered petrol. The force said those arrested in its initial operation had been released on bail while investigators continued their work.[3][3]
RAF Fairford housed U.S. aircraft and personnel at the time, according to the indictment. The filing describes the Fairford allegations as a later episode in a case that prosecutors say also involved attacks on Jewish communities in Europe and the United States.[1][2][1][2]
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service announced Oct. 27 that two men had been charged under the National Security Act after the Fairford investigation. One is accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service; the other is accused of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom. Those are separate UK proceedings from the U.S. indictment.[4][4]
Al-Saadi pleaded not guilty in June to the earlier U.S. charges, the Associated Press reported. AP also reported that his lawyers had previously objected to interruptions of monitored family calls; prosecutors cited concerns about coded language when seeking to limit those calls. Reuters said an attorney for al-Saadi did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new filing. Iran has denied any role in the suspected Fairford plot, Reuters reported.[2][5][2][5]
The three men are accused, not convicted. The Justice Department said the charges are allegations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.[1][1]