The United States has withdrawn all its bombers from Britain’s RAF Fairford airbase following a security incident involving three suspicious vans near the military facility in September, as fresh criminal charges by US authorities have raised concerns about alleged Iranian-backed operations targeting Western military installations.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged three men accused of coordinating a series of attempted terrorist attacks across Europe and the United States, including an alleged plot targeting RAF Fairford, a key US military facility in Gloucestershire, England.
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The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, accuses the suspects of working on behalf of Iran-backed networks to organise attacks through a group identified as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), or the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.
The three suspects were also accused of supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia. Patel alleged that one of them sent coded messages from detention to assist future acts of violence.
How the RAF Fairford incident unfolded
The alleged plot against RAF Fairford reportedly began taking shape in August, when al-Hassani allegedly directed and paid associates in Britain to conduct surveillance and arrange logistics around the military base.
The DOJ said one individual was paid on August 22 to monitor the perimeter of the facility, while subsequent payments were allegedly made to others to procure vans, fuel barrels and materials that could potentially be used in an attack.
Investigators said the vehicles were disguised to resemble commercial vans belonging to a fuel delivery company and a swimming pool supply business. The suspects allegedly researched chemical accelerants and purchased metallic objects that could be used as explosive shrapnel.
On September 26, al-Hassani allegedly instructed associates to drive three vans towards RAF Fairford, maintaining frequent communication with the drivers and directing their movements.
At least two of the vehicles encountered a security roadblock and were prevented from following their intended routes, according to the DOJ.
The incident came to public attention in the early hours of September 27, when a local farmer spotted the suspicious vehicles while returning home from a party and alerted the police.
Authorities declared a major incident and launched an investigation. Although no explosives were discovered in the vans, police recovered a quantity of petrol.
Seven men have since been arrested in Britain in connection with the incident, while two British nationals appeared in court last month over the alleged Iran-linked plot.
Iran has rejected accusations of involvement. Its embassy in London said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” what it described as “unfounded and malicious speculations” linking Tehran to the incident.
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Faith Omoboye is a foreign affairs correspondent with background in History and International relations. Her work focuses on African politics, diplomacy, and global governance.
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