Three Iran-backed suspects plotted attacks including RAF Fairford incident, US says

The US Department of Justice has indicted three Iran-backed individuals for their alleged involvement in a series of terrorist attacks across Europe, including a plot at the RAF Fairford air base in the United Kingdom. One of the suspects, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, is said to have communicated with contacts in the UK from a New York prison while awaiting trial on previous charges.

The other two were based in Iran and allegedly communicated with the UK-based suspect. Iran has denied any involvement in the RAF Fairford incident, which came to light after suspicious vans were observed near the base. Seven men were arrested in the UK in connection with the incident. The three suspects are charged with planning attacks in Europe under the name of a newly-formed group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI).

The DOJ asserts that seven of the 18 attacks HAYI claimed responsibility for in Europe occurred in the UK, involving arson, explosives, and a stabbing incident in Golders Green, north London, in April that left two Jewish men injured, including a dual US-British citizen. FBI Director Kash Patel stated that Iran and its allies have attempted nearly 20 terror attacks in support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iraq-based militia Kataib Hezbollah.

The suspects are accused of procuring vans and fuel barrels, researching chemical accelerants, and creating a ruse of legitimate businesses to disguise the vans. On 27 September, the vans were spotted by a local farmer and reported to the police. Iran's embassy in London categorically rejected the allegations.