Iran-backed detainee plotted RAF Fairford attack from US jail, DOJ says
The US Justice Department says Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi plotted an attack on Britain's RAF Fairford — from a New York jail cell. Prosecutors claim he used family phone calls to pass coded messages to two other suspected Iran-backed operatives. He has pleaded not guilty to eight counts tied to Kata'ib Hezbollah.
- Original source: arabnews.com.
- The source published it on Nov 10, 2026 at 9:02 PM.
- No second outlet has reported it yet. Treat it as a single-source claim.
A jailed Iraqi national tried to run an attack on a British air base from behind bars in New York, according to the US Justice Department. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi allegedly passed coded messages to two other suspected Iran-backed operatives by phoning immediate family members, prosecutors said Tuesday. His target: RAF Fairford in Britain.
Al-Saadi has already pleaded not guilty to eight criminal counts, including conspiracy to provide material support to Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia Washington designates as a terrorist organization. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The base is no random pick. RAF Fairford was used by US bombers to hit targets in Iran, and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in October that a suspected plot against it was “highly likely” to have been coordinated inside Iran.
Tehran has denied any role in the suspected plot. The Justice Department's account, laid out Tuesday, puts the alleged plotting squarely inside a US detention cell.
TopicsMohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi · US Justice Department · RAF Fairford · Kata'ib Hezbollah · Andy Burnham · Iran
Source: arabnews.com
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