US charges three men over Iran-linked plots including RAF Fairford
The US has charged three men with masterminding 18 Iran-backed plots in Europe, including the RAF Fairford incident and attacks on Jewish sites, as Iran denies involvement.
How it was covered
- Sky News carried 68% of the airtime and concentrated on Iran's threat to European bases and expert security analysis.
- ITV concentrated on Indictment detail and alleged network behind the plots.
- BBC One, BBC Two and GB News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- BBC News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
The United States has charged three men over a string of alleged Iran-backed terrorist plots in Europe, including the incident near RAF Fairford in September and a near-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green in London in April. The men are accused of masterminding 18 plots, including arson attacks on Jewish sites in London. The charges are allegations and have yet to be tested in court.
Sky News named the three as Mohammed Baqir Saad Dawood al-Sadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national already in US custody, Mohsen Mahajeri, an Iranian national, and Muhammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national. Sky News reported that al-Sadi was in US custody at the time of the RAF Fairford incident and is alleged to have smuggled coded messages out of prison to coordinate with other organisers. Channel 5 reported that US military aircraft were moved out of RAF Fairford because of the perceived threat, and that a number of people were arrested in the UK.
ITV reported that at the heart of the alleged network is al-Sadi, who claims to be, in effect, the son of Qasem Soleimani, the former IRGC commander. ITV also reported that a group called the IMCR, the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right, appeared in March and claimed responsibility for many of the attacks. According to ITV, officials believe the group is a network of seven men, including two brothers with links to the criminal underworld in the Netherlands. ITV reported that all three men are accused of working for banned Iranian groups.
Iran has strongly denied any links to the Fairford incident, Channel 4 reported. Sky News reported that the UK government says the incident points to Iran.
Iran has threatened to attack US military bases in Europe if they are used to strike Iran. Sky News's security correspondent Tom Cheshire said Iran could modify some missiles to reach the UK, but that the warning may be partly for public consumption and part of negotiations with the US. Sky News also reported, citing The New York Times, that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had been moved from his home in Washington to a military base for his safety after security threats from Iran. Bessent has led the US campaign of economic pressure and sanctions against Iran since August.
Michael Clarke, a professor and defence analyst, told Sky News that Iran had prepared for a long conflict with the United States by devolving power to IRGC units and the Quds Force. John Sawers, the former chief of MI6, said the Iranians were probably more active in the United Kingdom than in other European countries because of the Iranian community and specific American bases in the UK, Sky News reported.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels | ||||
| US authorities charged three men over alleged Iran-linked incidents in the US and Europe, including a suspected terror incident near RAF Fairford in September. | Reported by ITV | |||
| Iran strongly denied any links to the RAF Fairford incident. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by ITV | ||
| The charges include the near-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in North London earlier this year. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by ITV | ||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | ||||
| Iran warned that European bases used for further attacks on Iran would be considered legitimate targets. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The alleged plots included attacks on Jewish sites in London. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Only on one channel | ||||
| A central figure in the alleged network, Mohamed Al Saadi, claims to be in effect the son of former IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Michael Clarke said IRGC handlers are inspiring less experienced people to attempt attacks. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| Officials believe the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right is a network of seven men, including two brothers linked to the Dutch criminal underworld. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Scott Bessent was reportedly moved from his Washington home to a military base for safety following security threats from Iran. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky led on the security threat, carrying the breaking warning that Iran would target US bases in Europe and adding analysis from Michael Clarke and John Sawers. It also detailed the indictment, including the claim that the main suspect was in US custody during the RAF Fairford incident, and reported Scott Bessent's move to a military base.
- “We have to assume that the Iranians are probably more active in the United Kingdom than in other European countries”
- “Iran has threatened to attack US military bases in Europe if they are used to strike Iran.”
- “the main suspect in this, he was actually in US custody at the time of the RAF Fairford attacks.”
Channel 4's summary was brief and placed the charges alongside other international and domestic stories. It highlighted the near-fatal stabbing of two Jewish men in North London and Iran's strong denial of links to the Fairford incident.
- “The US Justice Department has issued terror-related charges against three Iran-backed suspects accused of being involved in a series of incidents across the UK and Europe.”
- “Iran has strongly denied any links to the Fairford incident.”
Channel 5 carried the story in both lunchtime and evening bulletins, with its political editor reporting from the Ministry of Defence in the later programme. It focused on the UK impact, including the Golders Green stabbing, the moving of US aircraft from RAF Fairford and UK arrests, while also noting Iranian denials and threats to European bases.
- “They're accused of masterminding 18 Iran-backed terrorist plots, which also include attacks on Jewish sites in London.”
- “The two Iranians are in Iran, but the dual national is actually in US custody and it's alleged that he helped smuggle out coded messages to help organise some of these attacks.”
- “a lot of US military aircraft were moved out of there because it was perceived that there was a threat.”
ITV's evening bulletin gave the fullest account of the alleged network, naming al-Sadi and describing his claimed link to Qasem Soleimani. It also reported the IMCR group's videos, the alleged 18-plot charge sheet and a network of seven men with criminal links in the Netherlands.
- “three men have been charged by the United States with masterminding 18 Iran-backed terrorist plots in Europe, including a string of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London and the incident at RAF Fairford.”
- “At the heart of this network is a man called Mohamed Al Saadi. He claims to be, in effect, the son of Qasem Soleimani”
- “officials believe that this group is actually a network of seven men”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 09:11 GMT
- 09:12 GMT
John Sawers, ex-chief of MI6
Mornings with Ridge and Frost · Wed 11 Nov
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.