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One of the men, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national

On 26 September, al-Hassani allegedly tasked individuals to drive three vans, some of which were later determined to contain barrels of fuel, to the RAF…

europe, london, new york, three iran, fairford, incident, including, suspects

Key facts

  • On 26 September, al-Hassani allegedly tasked individuals to drive three vans, some of which were later determined to contain barrels of fuel, to the…
  • One of the men, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, is accused of communicating with contacts in the UK from a prison in New York, where he is awaiting…
  • The other two are accused of doing the same from Iran.

On 26 September, al-Hassani allegedly tasked individuals to drive three vans, some of which were later determined to contain barrels of fuel, to the RAF Fairford base.

One of the men, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, is accused of communicating with contacts in the UK from a prison in New York, where he is awaiting trial on previous charges.

The other two are accused of doing the same from Iran.

Seven men have been arrested in the UK over the incident.

Iran has strongly denied any involvement in the RAF Fairford incident, which came to light when suspicious vans were reported near the base.

On 22 August, al-Hassani paid one individual to"perform pre-operational surveillance of RAF Fairford's perimeter", the department said.

The suspects then gave the vans the appearance of vehicles used by a fuel delivery business and a swimming pool supply business, the department stated.

In the very early hours of 27 September, the vans were spotted by a local farmer who was heading home from a party and called the police.

Dig deeper

What is RAF Fairford?

RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England, long used by the US Air Force for heavy-bomber deployments, which is why vans near its perimeter were treated as a serious security incident.

Who is al-Hassani?

Al-Hassani is the dual Iranian-Iraqi national accused of directing the Fairford operation, including by contacting people in the UK from a New York prison where he is awaiting trial on earlier charges.

Why does the New York detail matter?

He is alleged to have kept giving instructions from custody in New York, rather than only from Iran, where two other suspects are accused of doing the same.

Why does this matter?

The case concerns an alleged plot to send fuel-laden, disguised vans toward a base linked to US strategic bombers; Iran has denied any involvement.

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