Three Iranian-Backed Operatives Indicted for Their Roles in Nearly 20 Terrorist Attacks and Attempted Attacks Across Europe and the United States
Note, the release has been updated to include a quote from the National Security Division.
An eight-count superseding indictment was unsealed today charging Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national, with terrorism-related offenses for their activities in support of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), two U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), including their involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks throughout Europe and the United States, and a September 2026 terrorist plot at a British Royal Air Force Base in Fairford, United Kingdom, where American armed forces were stationed.
“Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American servicemembers will be prosecuted by the United States government,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The defendants listed in the indictment allegedly supported two foreign terrorist organizations, and al-Saadi allegedly coordinated with his co-defendants in the days leading up to the attempted terrorist plot. This Department of Justice will continue dismantling terrorist networks and protecting the American people from terrorist organizations.”
“This eight-count indictment shows the determination of Iran to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the U.S., including one plot that was recently prevented at RAF Fairfield, a British Royal Air Force Base where American forces were stationed,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “According to the indictment, one of the subjects is behind bars awaiting trial yet he allegedly sent coded messages to assist in future acts of violence. To date, the subjects have been allegedly involved in nearly 20 attempted attacks throughout Europe and the United States in support of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (“IRGC”), two U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations. This FBI will use all our resources to detect and stop such terrorist attacks as we’ve done the last 21 months – with over 1,300 terrorists disrupted and nearly 7,000 Foreign Terrorist Organization related arrests, up 1,057%. All those who threaten our homeland will get the message – justice will find you.”
“Today marks a major disruption of an alleged global terrorism conspiracy,” said Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security M. Scott Proctor. “No matter where they are in the world, the National Security Division of the Department of Justice will pursue those who target American citizens and American interests. My thanks go out to the prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their work on this case.”
“As alleged, these defendants helped orchestrate a campaign of terror on behalf of terrorist organizations affiliated with Iran that targeted Jewish communities in Europe and the United States, and the British military base, RAF Fairford, housing American service members,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York. “Even after one of their co-conspirators was arrested and placed in federal custody, the defendants allegedly continued coordinating terrorist activity through coded communications and a network of associates overseas. The threat presented by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and our allies is not hypothetical — it is very real. Our Office will not stop working to address and disrupt this threat, and to prosecute those responsible.”
According to the allegations contained in the superseding indictment and other court filings: Al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri, and al-Hassani allegedly conspired to commit terrorist attacks in Europe and the United States on behalf of an Iran-aligned terrorist network, which included the IRGC and Kata’ib Hizballah, both of which are FTOs. Most recently, in approximately September 2026, al-Hassani allegedly orchestrated a terrorist plot at a British Royal Air Force Base (RAF Fairford) in Fairford, United Kingdom (the “RAF Fairford Terrorist Plot”), which at the time of the attempted attack, housed U.S. military aircraft and personnel.
Al-Hassani and Mohajeri, both of whom were in Iran at the time of the RAF Fairford Terrorist Plot, allegedly relied on a network of contacts in the United Kingdom. Al-Saadi, who was imprisoned and awaiting trial on pending terrorism charges in the Southern District of New York, attempted to coordinate with al-Hassani and Mohajeri from jail by passing coded messages through third parties.
Al-Saadi, a longtime operative of the IRGC and Kata’ib Hizballah, was charged in May for working with and on behalf of the IRGC and Kata’ib Hizballah, as well as other FTOs, for his involvement in planning and promoting approximately 18 terrorist attacks in Europe; and for attempting to bomb a synagogue in New York. The picture below shows al-Saadi in front of an array of machineguns in a conference room with a map of the United States on the wall next to a list of “legitimate targets” (redacted here) identifying former and current U.S. officials.
As alleged, among the individuals with whom al-Saadi worked to facilitate and carry out the European Terrorist Attacks were Mohajeri and al-Hassani. Mohajeri is an Iranian national and operative of the IRGC who coordinated with al-Saadi and al-Hassani to carry out those terrorist attacks with the IRGC’s backing. Al-Hassani, who is originally from Iraq, used his contacts and criminal associates to carry out terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom.
The European Terrorist Attacks were carried out in the name of a purportedly new terrorist group with the pseudonym Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), which is a front for Kata’ib Hizballah and other FTOs. Of the 18 terrorist attacks in the spring of 2026 for which HAYI claimed responsibility in Europe, seven took place in the United Kingdom, the most of any European country. The attacks involved arsons, explosives, and in one instance, a near-fatal stabbing in London of two Jewish men, including a dual U.S.-British citizen.
Al-Saadi, Mohajeri, and Al-Hassani were allegedly personally involved in planning many of the European Terrorist Attacks, and al-Saadi and Mohajeri helped create and publish online propaganda videos of these attacks. For example, on or about April 6, Mohajeri and al-Hassani planned attacks while together in a room in Iraq with a map of London displayed on a computer screen. In a video of that meeting, al-Hassani told Mohajeri, “we need to get focused on London.” An image of the video is below, with Mohajeri on the right and al-Hassani on the left. HAYI then claimed responsibility for six terrorist attacks that occurred in and around London starting approximately one week later.
On or about April 17, al-Saadi, al-Hassani, and Mohajeri allegedly directed an individual to carry out one of the European Terrorist Attacks in real time. Specifically, al-Saadi, al-Hassani, and Mohajeri, along with others, were in a room watching a FaceTime video with the individual who was carrying out the attack, which was projected onto a large screen against the background of the HAYI logo. Al-Hassani directed the perpetrators’ actions, including by instructing the individual on the other end of the call to execute the attack and directing that individual to take a lighter and “light one in your hand,” “light it,” and “throw the fourth one.” Al-Saadi recorded the attack in real time, while Mohajeri recorded al-Hassani and al-Saadi in the room as they directed the attack. A still image from Mohajeri’s recording, showing al-Saadi (circled in red) and al-Hassani (circled in green), as they directed and filmed the attack, is below.
The next day, on or about April 18, al-Hassani participated in another video call with an individual carrying out an attack on a synagogue in London, with the HAYI logo projected on the background of al-Hassani’s screen. During the video call, al-Hassani directed the individual to “light it up like a Christmas tree.” The person on the video then lit an improvised explosive device and threw it at a building. An image from the video is shown below.
In March and April — overlapping with the time that al-Saadi was co-located in Iraq with Mohajeri and al-Hassani, planning the European Terrorist Attacks — al-Saadi allegedly attempted to coordinate and carry out terrorist attacks in the United States, including by targeting a synagogue in Manhattan.
On or about May 1, following the European Terrorist Attacks, al-Saadi was arrested abroad and subsequently transferred to the custody of the United States to face prosecution. Al-Saadi has been in federal custody since his arrival in the United States. For approximately four months following al-Saadi’s arrest, there were no additional attacks attributable to al-Saadi, Mohajeri, and al-Hassani.
In August, however, al-Hassani allegedly directed and paid associates in the United Kingdom to conduct preparatory steps and arrange logistics for the RAF Fairford Terrorist Plot. On Aug. 22, al-Hassani paid one individual (Individual-1) to perform pre-operational surveillance of RAF Fairford’s perimeter and al-Hassani subsequently received videos of the area surrounding the base. In later communications with al-Hassani, Individual-1 referred to him as “Ali.”
In September, al-Hassani also tasked and paid several individuals to help him prepare for the plot, including by procuring vans and barrels of fuel, researching the purchase of chemical accelerants, including large quantities of potassium chloride, and purchasing metallic objects that could be used as explosive shrapnel. At al-Hassani’s urging, those individuals commissioned custom decals that they affixed to the vans to create the appearance that they were used by a fuel delivery business and a swimming pool supply business.
On Sept. 26, al-Hassani allegedly tasked individuals to drive three vans, some of which were later determined to contain barrels of fuel, to the RAF Fairford base. That day, al-Hassani was in frequent communication with the van drivers, helping to coordinate their movements and directing them where to drive. At least two of the three vans, while en route to the perimeter of RAF Fairford, encountered a security roadblock and were not allowed to proceed on their intended route. Al-Hassani communicated with the drivers and occupants of the vans both before and after encountering the security checkpoint. In the early morning hours of Sept. 27, law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom recovered three white vans to which the fuel delivery business logos were affixed and arrested the occupants.
While in prison in New York awaiting trial, al-Saadi has had phone calls with his immediate family members located in Iraq. As alleged, al-Saadi used those calls to pass coded messages to Mohajeri and al-Hassani in the days leading up to the RAF Fairford Terrorist Plot.
For example, in June and July, al-Saadi allegedly spoke with his mother and sister about Mohajeri. During those calls, they referred to Mohajeri by various aliases, including “Abbas, Abu Daniel” and “Sayyid Abbas.” Al-Saadi also told his family members that he owed money to Mohajeri and directed them to pass along messages to Mohajeri about “work,” a term al-Saadi regularly used to describe terrorist activity, including on social media posts and in discussions with Mohajeri about partnering to conduct terrorist attacks. On one of those calls, al-Saadi also asked his sister, “What are they doing about all our old work?” and asked her whether it had been cancelled or just put on pause. Al-Saadi’s sister responded that “it isn’t cancelled.”
On or about Sept. 24, al-Saadi once again spoke with his immediate family by phone. On the call, al-Saadi allegedly inquired about how al-Hassani, whom al-Saadi referred to as “Ali,” was doing. Al-Saadi’s family informed al-Saadi that “Ali” had been transferred to the “International Section.” Al-Saadi then allegedly instructed his family to “give him [al-Hassani] money so we can do it.” As described above, three days later, al-Hassani orchestrated the RAF Fairford Terrorist Plot.
Al-Saadi, 32, is a citizen of Iraq and Iran. Mohajeri, 48, is a citizen of Iran. Al-Hassani, 35, is a citizen of Iraq. A chart containing the names, charges, and minimum and maximum penalties for the defendants is set forth below.
The Justice Department praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, and the FBI Washington Field Office, Counterterrorism Division, as well as the assistance of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the NYPD, the New York State Police, and the Department of State.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Coyle, Sarah L. Kushner, David J. Robles, and Chelsea L. Scism for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from James Donnelly and Paul Casey of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A superseding indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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