NEW YORK — An operative tied to Tehran ran a transatlantic terror cell straight out of a federal prison cell in Brooklyn.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed a criminal indictment on Tuesday detailing how Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national locked inside the Metropolitan Detention Center, used coded family phone calls to steer violent strikes overseas. The targets were concrete and high-stakes. They included RAF Fairford—a strategic military airfield in western England housing American bomber squadrons—alongside nearly 20 planned strikes against Jewish community hubs spanning Europe and the United States.
The blueprint was lethal.
According to the indictment, al-Saadi did not act alone. Prosecutors slapped terrorism charges on two fugitive associates operating outside American borders: Iranian national Mohsen Mohajeri and Iraqi national Mohammad Ali al-Hassani. Neither man sits in United States custody.
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.
Jamie McDonald, Manhattan US Attorney
McDonald stated that the operational threat spearheaded by Tehran-backed groups remains immediate rather than speculative. Attorney General Todd Blanche warned that foreign operatives plotting against American overseas installations will face full federal prosecution.
The conspiracy unspooled through recorded prison landlines.
Al-Saadi had been confined to solitary quarters since his arrest in May, tagged by the Department of Justice as a high-risk operative intent on striking Western and Israeli assets. Yet between June and September, he logged nine phone and video conferences with his mother and sister. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded every exchange.
Prosecutors revealed that al-Saadi weaponized mundane domestic phrasing to disguise logistical terror commands, substituting words like "work" and "a job" to keep plots alive. On July 30, al-Saadi probed his sister during a monitored call: "What are they doing about all our old work?"
His sister gave him immediate clearance. She assured him that the operations were not cancelled.
By September 24, al-Saadi pressed his family about al-Hassani's transfer to an "International Section," issuing direct instructions into the receiver: "Give him money so we can do it."
The network had already carried out attacks on European soil. In mid-April, al-Saadi, al-Hassani, and Mohajeri allegedly directed an operative on the ground in London to torch a Jewish charity organization, monitoring the arson operation live through a video stream.
The plot against British soil unraveled on September 27.
British counterterrorism officers intercepted three suspicious vans heading straight for RAF Fairford, located roughly 160 kilometres west of London. Security forces rounded up several men on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences. While authorities initially granted bail to seven suspects, investigators rearrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iranian foreign intelligence, formally booking them under Britain's National Security Act.
Tehran issued blanket denials regarding the foiled airfield attack. Yet the operational security scare prompted an immediate response from the Pentagon: the United States pulled its bomber fleet out of RAF Fairford and relocated the aircraft back to American soil.
| Case Parameter | Official Detail |
|---|---|
| Incarcerated Defendant | Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi (Dual Iranian-Iraqi) |
| Fugitive Co-Defendants | Mohsen Mohajeri (Iranian), Mohammad Ali al-Hassani (Iraqi) |
| Alleged Attack Targets | RAF Fairford (UK) & nearly 20 European/US Jewish sites |
| Detention Location | Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), Brooklyn, New York |
| Military Retraction | US bombers pulled from RAF Fairford to sovereign American bases |
Federal prosecutors are now urging the presiding judge to restrict al-Saadi's communications privileges to a single one-hour call per month, while global law enforcement agencies maintain active search operations for Mohajeri and al-Hassani.