Iranian mastermind behind arson attacks on London Jews organised RAF airbase plot, US officials allege

The Jewish Chronicle reports the US indictment of three men over 18 attacks in Europe and the RAF Fairford plot, and it mostly attributes the charges to US officials and the DOJ. It misstates one accused man's nationality, calling al-Hassani a dual Iranian Iraqi national when its own later sentence and other outlets call him an Iraqi national.

1. Makes a false claim

   Serious

   “a dual Iranian Iraqi national”

   Why this matters

   The JC describes Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, the man accused of directing the Fairford plot, as "a dual Iranian Iraqi national" in its own voice.

   The impression it gives

   A reader believes the alleged organiser of the Fairford plot holds Iranian nationality, adding a second Iranian to the two accused of running it from Iran.

   The context

   The JC's own later sentence calls him an Iraqi national, and the DOJ as reported by LBC and the BBC lists al-Hassani as an Iraqi national. The dual Iranian-Iraqi national among the accused is al-Saadi, the man in US prison. The article contradicts itself on a basic fact about who is charged.

   How we know

   • Elsewhere in the article“Iraqi national al-Hassani”
   • BBC News reported“Iraqi national Mohammad Ali al-Hassani and dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi”Three Iran-backed suspects plotted attacks including RAF Fairford incident, US says (opens in a new tab)
   • LBC reported“Iraqi national Mohammad Ali al-Hassani”Three Iran-backed agents charged in US over RAF Fairford and string of other terror plots across Europe (opens in a new tab)

   Written straight

   US officials allege Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national, and Iranian Mohsen Mohajeri used "a network of contacts in the United Kingdom" to orchestrate the Fairford plot from Iran.