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Wednesday, November 11, 2026

The File

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Courts · Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Prosecutors charge three men over attacks and an RAF Fairford plot

The File desk · Nov. 11, 2026, 6:34 a.m. ET

Confirmed2 primary sourcesAdded 6:34 a.m. ET, Nov. 11

Status

Confirmed that the Justice Department said an was unsealed on November 10, 2026. The allegations are unproved. Charges are allegations; defendants are presumed innocent.
Federal prosecutors have charged three men over what they call nearly 20 terrorist attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States, including a September 2026 plot at RAF Fairford, a base in Britain where U.S. forces were stationed.1 The Justice Department said on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that an against them was unsealed.1
A superseding indictment is a new charging document that replaces an earlier one. This one names Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, described as a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national. The release says the prosecutors are in the Southern District of New York.1
The release places only one of the men in custody. It says al-Saadi was arrested abroad on or about May 1, brought to the United States, and has been in federal custody since he arrived. It says Mohajeri and al-Hassani were in Iran at the time of the Fairford plot, and it does not say those two are in custody.1
The release says the men acted in support of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which it calls designated foreign terrorist organizations, the government's formal label for a group it says engages in terrorism. The release treats that label as already in place for both groups.1
"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. The release's own summary, and U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald, call the base RAF Fairford.1
This site's October 13, 2026 edition reported a joint statement after Britain tied a September 27 incident at Royal Air Force Fairford to Tehran.2 The indictment is a charging document, not that statement. On September 26, the release says, al-Hassani allegedly tasked people to drive three vans toward the base, and some of them were later found with barrels of fuel. At least two met a security roadblock.1
Why it matters (Estimate). Estimate. The charge is that a plot reached a British base where American forces were stationed, and that a defendant already in a New York jail allegedly kept passing coded messages. If the allegations are proved, the chart on the release lists prison terms that run up to life. They have not been proved. The release does not say Mohajeri or al-Hassani have been arrested. For the man already in custody, the next step the release describes is the case in the Southern District of New York.
In the early morning of September 27, British authorities recovered three white vans and arrested the occupants.12
How we know

Notes

  1. 1.U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, press release 26-1342, "Three Iranian-Backed Operatives Indicted for Their Roles in Nearly 20 Terrorist Attacks and Attempted Attacks Across Europe and the United States." Visible dateline Tuesday, November 10, 2026. Page metadata: published 2026-11-10T13:25:02-05:00, which is 1:25 p.m. ET, modified 2026-11-10T15:37:30-05:00, which is 3:37 p.m. ET. A note says the release was updated to include a quote from the National Security Division. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-iranian-backed-operatives-indicted-their-roles-nearly-20-terrorist-attacks-and "An was unsealed today" charging Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri, and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani. Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC are called "two U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs)." September 2026 plot at RAF Fairford. Patel quotation uses "RAF Fairfield." Jamie McDonald is "U.S. Attorney ... for the Southern District of New York" and says "RAF Fairford." Al-Saadi "has been in federal custody since his arrival in the United States" after an arrest abroad "on or about May 1." "A superseding indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law." Charges are allegations; defendants are presumed innocent. Retrieved 6:15 a.m. ET, Nov. 11.
  2. 2.Same release, charge chart. Count One: conspiring to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah, all three, maximum 20 years. Count Two: conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC, all three, maximum 20 years. Count Three: conspiring to provide material support for acts of terrorism, all three, maximum 15 years. Count Four: providing material support for acts of terrorism, all three, maximum 15 years. Count Five: attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, al-Saadi, maximum life. Count Six: conspiring to bomb a place of public use, all three, maximum life. Count Seven: attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosive, al-Saadi, minimum 5 years, maximum 20 years. Count Eight: financing terrorism, all three, maximum 20 years. September 26 vans and September 27 arrests are allegations in the release. Prior story: https://thefile.news/story/iran-raf-fairford-joint-statement-oct12

What is still unknown or disputed

  • Whether Mohajeri or al-Hassani are in custody. The release does not say so.
  • A case number. The release names the district and does not print a docket number in the paragraphs this desk used.
  • An hour on the visible dateline. The page prints Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    Three Iranian-backed operatives indicted

    U.S. Department of Justice · November 10, 2026

    An was unsealed November 10, 2026, naming three defendants and a September 2026 plot at RAF Fairford. Al-Saadi is in federal custody. Charges are allegations.

    https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-iranian-backed-operatives-indicted-their-roles-nearly-20-terrorist-attacks-and

  2. Source 2

    U.S. and partners condemn Iran after a Fairford incident

    The File · October 13, 2026

    The October 13 edition reported a joint statement after Britain tied a September 27 incident at Royal Air Force Fairford to Tehran.

    https://thefile.news/story/iran-raf-fairford-joint-statement-oct12