Three men, including one already jailed in the U.S., were accused by U.S.authorities Tuesday of being Iran-supported operatives who plotted nearly 20 attacks on Jewish communities in Europe and the U.S., as well as a planned assault on a British air base used by the U.S.
Air Force.Charges against Mohammad Al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani, an Iraqi national, were outlined in a superseding indictment unsealed in federal court in New York City.Only Al-Saadi — an alleged pro-Iranian terrorist who is believed to have plotted attacks across Europe, Canada and the U.S., as first reported by NBC News — is in custody.U.S.
Attorney Jamie McDonald in New York said in a news release that Al-Saadi, who was arrested in the spring, continued to coordinate with his co-defendants in the days leading up to the attempted September terrorist plot at a British Royal Air Force Base in Fairford, where U.S.bombers and troops had been stationed.“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 McDonald, whose office is handling the case.
“The threat presented by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and our allies is not hypothetical — it is very real,” he added in the statement.The new indictment offers fresh insight into an episode that has been shrouded in mystery for more than a month after five men were detained after midnight Sept.27 on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward the base in western England.The Justice Department indictment alleges that Al-Hassani paid associates to carry out surveillance of RAF Fairford in August and paid several people to move forward with the plot in September �...