The US Justice Department on Tuesday charged three men it described as Iranian operatives over an alleged September terrorist plot at Britain's RAF Fairford airbase in England. Prosecutors said one suspect directed individuals to drive vans, some carrying fuel barrels, to the base, which housed US military aircraft and personnel.
Page A234From§Eachthe evening edition — 10 November 2026
Justice Department says man who plotted attack on British air base directed it from a New York jail
As it ran on the front
Today we are making an indictment that names a man who never left his cell, which is not a dish you can get over here, so I shall go slowly. You will need three men the Justice Department calls Iranian operatives, a base called RAF Fairford, twelve B-1 bombers that were there and then were not, and a telephone line out of a jail in New York.
Clive A line to a jail. I've sent verses from the box room that got a thinner reply than that.
Gary Verses. The man moved aircraft out of the country from inside a cell; you can't get the landlord round from the sofa.
Begin with September: Iranian operatives are accused of directing people to drive vans toward RAF Fairford's gates, some carrying fuel barrels, at a base housing American aircraft and crew.
That Thursday a sixth man, a dual British-Iranian national, 25, was arrested in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts; officers searched two properties. By Saturday he was out on bail — this part of the dish never finished cooking.
Rob Let go again. That's the house rhythm — something breaks, someone's released, and we carry on as if the boiler's the crisis.
RAF Fairford itself may be taken by both ends and turned over: that same Saturday the Pentagon pulled all twelve B-1 bombers off it, back to their home stations in the United States, weeks after the threat was first identified.
Later in October, two men in London were charged under Britain's National Security Act 2023: Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, with assisting a foreign intelligence service, and Nouman Essghir, 24, with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to Britain, at RAF Fairford, on 22 August.
Gary Prejudicial to the state. I'm prejudicial to that shed door, and I've still got a hammer waiting its turn.
Now the part people are afraid of: the architect never got near a van. The Justice Department names him as Mohammad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian and Iraqi national, who ran the plot from inside a jail in New York, passing instructions out as coded calls to his family, who passed them on to two co-conspirators to buy chemicals for it.
France 24 has the charge as 'Iranian operatives,' quotation marks left in. CBS has them at home as Iran-backed operatives; Fox News, Iran-backed suspects — no quotes either place.
You will be looking for the attack itself. There is none; the Guardian calls this a foiled attack, which is the only kind an indictment gets to describe.
This one is eaten by the Justice Department, which gets an indictment naming an architect it never has to extradite. Britain pays at Westminster Magistrates' Court, for a base the Americans had already emptied.
Keith Running the whole thing from a cell he never left. There's a format in that — no location needed, just a phone, same as this kitchen some mornings.
“A man already locked up in federal custody in New York still manages to run an alleged attack on a base housing American troops. Either someone was listening to those calls and missed it, or the calls went unheard. The Pentagon quietly flew its bombers home before anyone explained why — that's the oversight question Washington isn't asking.”
“This is the system working exactly as designed — the Justice Department caught the plot before any van reached the gate, and the Pentagon moved those bombers purely out of caution. How a man under federal supervision ran coded calls to two co-conspirators without anyone flagging it is a Bureau of Prisons staffing issue, not a Justice Department failure. Did I just call a security breach a staffing issue? That's not how I meant that to land.”
Earlier in this story
- A lawsuit written to activate only with a loss is still waiting for one. By Ruth · the afternoon edition, 10 November 2026
- The Justice Department's suit triggered only on a narrow Republican loss; Mississippi's trailing Republican filed second. By The Wrecking Crew · the evening edition, 9 November 2026
- The Justice Department sued to block Alaska's certification before a single vote was counted, naming no ballots, triggered only by a narrow Republican loss. By The Wrecking Crew · the evening edition, 8 November 2026
The receipts
An attorney for Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom said Republican efforts to separate particular ballots are illegal under state law and should not be followed, according to a letter sent to county election commissioners Thursday. The letter comes in reaction to the National Republican Senatorial Committee's request to…
A Justice Department indictment alleges three Iran-backed suspects used fuel-laden vans to target RAF Fairford, a British base housing U.S. troops.
Mississippi Democrat Scott Colom extended his lead against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) in the Senate race, outpacing her by just over 1,800 ballots. Initially, the election was a lot closer, with Colom leading the incumbent by fewer than 100 votes.
Three Iran-linked operatives are accused of plotting a terrorist attack at an air base in the U.K. and attempting over a dozen attacks in the U.S. and Europe.
Republicans' reconciliation package puts $70 billion into ICE's department NBC News, May 2026
Courts Reject Trump’s Attempt at Deploying ICE to Intimidate VotersA judge ordered Homeland Security to stop sending agents door to door in nine key states to hunt for “voter fraud.”
New indictment claims Mohammad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian and Iraqi national, plotted while in US custody US federal prosecutors have said that an Iranian operative jailed in New York was responsible for the foiled attack on a UK air force base where American B-1 bombers were stationed. A new indictment alleged that Mohammad Dawood…
In special elections, Democrats have retained 10 points more of their previous turnout than Republicans Ballotpedia, 26 February 2026
Mississippi Senate race leans Democratic; Colom holds narrow leadThe Senate race in deep-red Mississippi remains unresolved, as Democrat Scott Colom has mounted a surprisingly competitive challenge to incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
· Two charged over Iranian spy plot following RAF Fairford arrests from the morgue, 27 Oct 2026
· Sixth person arrested over RAF Fairford plot from the morgue, 2 Oct 2026
· Pentagon pulls B-1 bombers from UK base following alleged terror threat from the morgue, 4 Oct 2026
· Man arrested for alleged terror threat on US airbase RAF Fairford released on bail from the morgue, 3 Oct 2026
· ‘Mississippi matters’: Scott Colom aims to turn Mississippi blue from the morgue, 29 Oct 2026
· Obama rolls out ad for Dem Scott Colom in Mississippi Senate race from the morgue, 12 Oct 2026
· Trump ask to set aside ‘Decoy Dan’ Alaska Senate ballots ‘not even possible’: attorneys from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026
· Peltola repeats denial of ballot-stacking reports, stays silent on federal probe from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026
· Trump prosecutions under Biden set precedent for DOJ’s Alaska ‘Decoy Dan’ probe, ex-FEC chair says from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026
· Murkowski snubs Trump-backed Alaska candidate, endorses Democrat for governor from the morgue, 28 Oct 2026
· DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sullivan loses from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Alaska Election Gambit Shows Justice Dept. Has Bowed to Trump’s Demands from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Donald Trump challenges Alaska Senate trace from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Trump administration sues to block possible Democratic win in Alaska Senate race from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· The controversy surrounding convicted former election official Tina Peters from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Alaska Senate race featuring two Dan Sullivans is ‘blatantly corrupt’: Joe Concha from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Trump officials abandon effort to investigate election threats, experts warn from the morgue, 1 Oct 2026
· Tina Peters turns down job with California county's registrar of voters from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Election deniers stoke Trump-driven ballot security fears before midterms from the morgue, 6 Oct 2026
· Facing an electoral wipeout, Trump goes after the system from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Justice Dept. Demands That California Counties Help Identify Noncitizen Voters from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifts Alaska and South Carolina Senate races in favor of Democrats from the morgue, 6 Oct 2026
· Appeals Court Rejects 'Likely Unlawful' Trump Push to Undermine Mail-In Voting as Supreme Court Looms from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· US justice department sues California over alleged noncitizen voting from the morgue, 15 Oct 2026
· Trump knocks Alaska voting system: 'How stupid are we to do this?' from the morgue, 9 Oct 2026
· Corey Lewandowski Always Found His Way Back to Trump. Until Now. from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump announces $6.6bn defense shipyard owned by top Republican donor’s firm from the morgue, 6 Oct 2026
· Companies Backed by Trump Sons Have Scored Over $6 Billion in Pentagon Contracts: Analysis from the morgue, 7 Oct 2026
· DOJ demands that California counties help identify noncitizen voters from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· DOJ demands that some California counties set aside alleged noncitizen ballots from the morgue, 25 Oct 2026
· California officials ordered by DoJ to set aside ‘likely’ noncitizen ballots from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· LA feds move to halt ballot counting over 20K suspected noncitizen voters from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump 'Laying the Groundwork for Election Meddling' With DHS Hunt for Noncitizen Voters from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· California has no real safeguards for voting and voter registration from the morgue, 21 Oct 2026
· Federal efforts over alleged noncitizen voting escalate with California arrests from the morgue, 20 Oct 2026
· Federal voter fraud arrests intensify in California days after DOJ warning from the morgue, 19 Oct 2026
· Trump DOJ issues stark warning to California ballot counters after suing state over 20K suspected noncitizen voters from the morgue, 17 Oct 2026
· Intel Democrats on how they'll react if Trump alleges election meddling from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump told DOJ to sue to block Alaska Senate results if Republican narrowly loses from the morgue, 26 Oct 2026
· Trump says he personally ordered DOJ lawsuit intervening in Alaska Senate election from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Ramaswamy accuses Acton of ‘lying’ about attack ad, but court records contradict mother’s claim – live from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· DoJ sues to block certification of Alaska Senate results if Republican incumbent loses from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump-Ordered DOJ Lawsuit in Alaska Seen as First Salvo in GOP Effort to Undermine Midterm Elections from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump on the Alaska election lawsuit: 'I'm the one that said, "do it"' from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump administration sues to block certification of upcoming Alaska election from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· DOJ files lawsuit to block results in Alaska Senate race after two Dan Sullivans land on November ballot from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump previews trip to Alaska to campaign for Dan Sullivan, ripping into the other Dan Sullivan from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Trump urges Alaskans to vote for the ‘real’ Dan Sullivan in tight midterms battle from the morgue, 14 Oct 2026
· Sullivan trails Peltola in Alaska Senate contest: AARP poll from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Trump vows to probe other Dan Sullivan in alleged Dem plot to sabotage ‘real’ Alaska GOP senator from the morgue, 14 Oct 2026
· Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites from the morgue, 7 Oct 2026
· AGs v. Trump: How an AWOL Congress made hundreds of lawsuits possible from the morgue, 16 Oct 2026
· The Electoral College meets in the state capitals to officially elect the next President. Joe Biden, the presumptive president-elect, is officially elected president after securing California's 55 ele from the morgue, 14 Dec 2020
· US federal agents raid home of Democratic congresswoman and Trump critic Ilhan Omar from the morgue, 12 Oct 2026
· Ilhan Omar’s Home Raided by DHS Following Trump-GOP Deportation Threats from the morgue, 12 Oct 2026
· Federal Agents Search Home of Rep. Ilhan Omar from the morgue, 13 Oct 2026
· Rep. Ilhan Omar’s residence searched as part of ongoing criminal investigation: DOJ from the morgue, 13 Oct 2026
· Rep. Ilhan Omar's D.C. home searched by Homeland Security investigators from the morgue, 12 Oct 2026
· Rep. Ilhan Omar’s DC home raided by DHS as part of probe into Dem’s immigration paperwork from the morgue, 12 Oct 2026
· Homan confirms 'criminal' investigation involving Ilhan Omar, says he knows 'things are going on’ from the morgue, 13 Sep 2026
· WATCH: Ilhan Omar denies feds have contacted her after border czar Homan confirms 'criminal' investigation from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Could Trump revoke Ilhan Omar's citizenship for alleged brother marriage? Ex federal prosecutor breaks it down from the morgue, 29 Sep 2026
· Did Ilhan Omar marry her own brother? The claims explained from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Russia’s Lavrov blasts US, Western allies as “warmongers’ in fiery UN tirade from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026
· Russia and China unite against US over Iran and Cuba in UN speeches from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026
· U.S. military lays groundwork for potential action around Cuba from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026
· The United Nations Security Council has resoundingly rejected a United States bid to extend a global arms embargo on Iran. In a Security Council vote, United States only got support from the Dominican from the morgue, 14 Aug 2020
· U.S. Threatens New Economic War on Iran by Targeting China & Tehran's Other Top Trading Partners from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026
· In Defiant UN Speech, Iranian President Says US and Israel Are the Real Terrorists from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026
· Trump slams reporting on removal of his endorsements from GOP candidate's website from the morgue, 27 Sep 2026
· Donalds removes several Trump mentions from campaign website from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· GOP hopeful removes ‘Pro-Trump’ mention from campaign slogan in deep-red seat from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026
· Where Trump’s 2026 endorsement record stands after primary season from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· U.N. experts say U.S. may have committed war crimes with 2 Iran strikes from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Trump Says 'Big Decision' Coming on Whether to 'Annihilate' Iran from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategy from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costs from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.