The US Justice Department has charged three Iranian operatives for plotting a campaign of terror across the US and Europe. The eight-count indictment alleges the men were supported by Iran and involved in plots supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including nearly 20 targeted attacks on Jewish communities.
Central to the charges is a foiled attack planned for September at the RAF Fairford airbase in England. The base, used by the US military for operations against Iran, housed American B-1 bombers and personnel. Prosecutors claim the operatives directed individuals to drive vans, some carrying fuel barrels, toward the base.
One of the accused, Mohammad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian and Iraqi national, allegedly plotted the attack while held in US custody in New York. Al-Saadi used coded messages during calls to his family to transmit plans to two co-conspirators to purchase large quantities of chemicals to be used as explosives.
Following the September incident, the United States withdrew all its B-1 bombers from the Fairford base. The new indictment provides further insight into an episode that had remained shrouded in mystery for over a month.