Iran-backed trio charged with plotting attacks in the U.S. and Europe

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(by Larry Neumeister and Eric Tucker, Associated Press) — Three men, including one already jailed in the United States, 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 airbase used by the U.S. Air Force.

Charges against:

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood 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 Manhattan federal court. Only al-Saadi 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, United Kingdom, where U.S. bombers and troops had been stationed.

“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,” McDonald said. “The threat presented by Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups to America and our allies is not hypothetical — it is very real.”

…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 on Sept. 27 on suspected explosives and terrorism offenses after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward the base in western England.

A sixth suspect, a British-Iranian dual national, was arrested several days later. All the men were released on bail [by British counter-terrorism police].

British authorities linked the incident to Tehran [the Iranian regime], and though Iran denied involvement [what do you think?], the arrests prompted the U.S. to withdraw its bombers that had been stationed there. The bombers were redeployed to their home bases in the United States.

RAF Fairford, located 100 miles west of London, has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East.

According to the indictment, al-Saadi used coded language in communications with relatives [his mother and sister(s)] from jail to direct that money be passed along to others who could carry out attacks.

The indictment alleged that the three men conspired together to use a network of contacts in the United Kingdom to commit terrorist attacks on behalf of an Iran-aligned terrorist network, which included the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] and Kata’ib Hizballah [which is a terrorist group backed by the IRGC].

In June, al-Saadi pleaded not guilty to charges that he plotted at least 18 attacks in Europe in retaliation for the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. He called himself a “prisoner of war.” He has been held without bail since. His lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday on the latest development.

Both Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been designated by the U.S. government as foreign terrorist organizations. U.S. prosecutors say Al-Saadi was a Kata’ib Hizballah commander.

An Associated Press report published at PBS on Nov. 10. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.

Questions

1. Name the three men named accused of plotting terrorist attacks in the U.S. and Europe. – What citizenship or nationality does each hold?

2. According to U.S. prosecutors, what types of targets were included in the alleged terrorist plots?

3. What was the significance of RAF Fairford, and why was it mentioned in the indictment?

4. How did investigators say Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi continued to communicate and direct activities while in jail?

5. What actions did British authorities take after suspicious vans were reported traveling toward RAF Fairford in September?

6. What connection do prosecutors allege exists between the defendants and organizations such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Kata’ib Hizballah?

7. Mohammad Al-Saadi is a dual Iranian and Iraqi citizen and a senior commander in the terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah, who worked closely with Iran’s IRGC. Consider the following:

–Al Saadi was already in jail in NY when he began to coordinate an attack on the British military base where U.S. bombers and troops were stationed. He had been arrested earlier this year on multiple charges around his alleged involvement in terrorist plots in the US and attacks in Europe.
–While imprisoned in a federal jail in Brooklyn, the DOJ placed Al-Saadi in a special housing unit and imposed special administrative measures (SAMS) or restrictions barring him from communicating with anyone other than immediate family members and his attorneys.
–The Justice Department informed the judge Al-Saadi was placed on SAMs “after finding that there is substantial risk that his communications or contacts with persons could result in death or serious bodily injury to persons, or substantial damage to property that would entail the risk of serious bodily injury to persons.”
–Al-Saadi is accused of using coded messages in calls to his mother and sister(s) to give instructions to the two other alleged terrorists who attempted to help carry out the terrorist attack on the British base.

What do you think? Should terrorists in U.S. jails be permitted to communicate with anyone outside the jail – even their family members? Explain your answer.

8. Scott Bessent (United States Secretary of the Treasury) is reported to have moved from his Washington, D.C. home to a U.S. military base after Iranian threats against his life, linked in part to his role leading economic sanctions and pressure campaigns against Iran. A Treasury spokesperson said Bessent “will not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats.” Intelligence assessments around that time indicated Iranian plotting against current and former U.S. officials had reached more advanced stages.

A Treasury spokesperson said Bessent “will not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats” after he had to relocate to a military base for his safety. What word/words would you use to describe Secretary Bessent’s character: courageous, resolute, determined, foolish, imprudent, short-sighted … Explain your answer.

Background

Years prior to his arrest, Mohammad Al-Saadi allegedly worked closely with Qasem Soleimani, the longtime commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds force, before the powerful military commander was killed in a targeted US airstrike in 2020.

Prosecutors have alleged that Al-Saadi was like a son to Soleimani, and that he was supposed to be with Soleimani when the commander was killed.

Prosecutors also say Al-Saadi was “close” to the former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, and warned the dictator three days before the US launched its war “about a potential US strike against Iran.”

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly four decades, was killed in the first wave of US and Israeli strikes in February.

When he was first charged earlier this year, prosecutors alleged Al-Saadi helped film — through FaceTime calls with the assailants — terrorist attacks across Europe following the start of the war and created propaganda videos from the footage of the attacks, including arson against Jewish institutions.

Al-Saadi also tried to hire a person in April to carry out potential assassination plots in the United States, including against a prominent synagogue in Manhattan, according to prosecutors.

Al-Saadi, who was actually communicating with an undercover agent, was detained days later while traveling abroad in Turkey.

Following his arrest, Al-Saadi allegedly told agents he was in charge of media and psychological warfare while also involved in strategy and military intel for Iran and its terror groups, which he viewed as all part of “the resistance.”

US law enforcement extracted photos from Al-Saadi’s devices following his arrest that allegedly depict him in terrorist intelligence bases across the Middle East with military leaders from Iran and its terrorist proxy groups. (from CNN, Nov. 10)