U.S. Energy Engineer Charged With Aiding Houthis as Global Terrorism Probes Intensify in Most Dangerous Countries
Global counter-terrorism authorities made multiple arrests this week in connection with suspected plots linked to designated terrorist groups and possible state actors, including a U.S. Energy Department engineer accused of aiding the Houthis and a British-Iranian man detained over an incident near a U.S. airbase used for operations against Iran. This development highlights ongoing security challenges in most dangerous countries where such threats continue to emerge.
U.S. Engineer Charged With Aiding Houthis
A Department of Energy employee was arrested Wednesday on federal charges of trying to provide material support to the Houthis, a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a Department of Justice press release. [1] The arrest marks a significant development in efforts to counter support for groups designated as terrorist organizations. Details released indicate the charges focus specifically on attempts to materially back the Houthis. [1] Authorities have not disclosed additional information beyond the core allegation of material support at this stage.
British-Iranian Man Arrested in London
British counter-terrorism police on Thursday arrested a 25-year-old man with dual British and Iranian nationality in London on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, in connection with Sunday's incident near RAF Fairford, an airbase in western England used by the United States Air Force. [3] The arrest took place in Westminster, where two properties were searched. [3] Police had initially said the detained man was 27 and that a second man had been questioned, but corrected both points in a later update. [3] The investigation remains active with authorities examining all possible angles.
Suspects Near RAF Fairford Remain on Bail
The five men arrested near the base on Sunday — British nationals aged 23 to 25 who live in London — remain on police bail. [3] None has been charged. [3] The five were detained in the early hours after reports of three suspicious vehicles heading towards the base, first on suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. [3] Petrol, but no explosive devices, was found in vans near the site. [3] According to the BBC, one of them had himself dialled the emergency number an hour before a local resident reported a group of masked men. [3] “The investigation is hugely complex,” said Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, adding that “all possible angles, including foreign state involvement” are being examined. [3] Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday there were “strong indications” that Iran “played a part” in what happened, though he said he could not give details and that the investigation was ongoing. [3] Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi replied that Burnham was “barking up the wrong tree”, and Tehran denied any involvement. [3] US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken on Monday of “the hands of a foreign actor”, without providing evidence. [3] Washington criticised the release on bail; Burnham defended it, citing the strict conditions imposed. [3] RAF Fairford has been used by the US Air Force for decades. [3] In recent months, bombers have taken off from there for the Middle East after the British government approved its use for what it called defensive strikes on Iran. [3]
Co-Pilot Allegedly Attempts to Crash Flight to Israel
The dramatic events on Wednesday saw passengers reroute the flydubai plane to stop it from crashing, making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before the flight's mostly Israeli passengers were flown home to a hero's welcome. [2] Passengers described rushing the cockpit and a fight for control after the plane suddenly plummeted, losing around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute, according to the Flightradar24 website. [2] "During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," Netanyahu said in a video message. [2] The co-pilot was an Omani national. [2] Airline flydubai has said all the passengers -- of whom 166 out of 174 were Israeli, according to media reports -- were safe, but that the reasons for the altercation were unknown. [2] The airline said it was another "on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight who diverted and landed the aircraft safely" and that it was suspending flights to Israel while an investigation took place. [2] Israeli officials have called the incident "an attempted terrorist attack". [2]
Netanyahu Cites Radical Indoctrination
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the co-pilot behind an attack on a flight to Israel had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination" as the United Arab Emirates said it was probing a possible terror link. [2] "We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination," Netanyahu told the "Fox & Friends" TV show without elaborating, adding that the co-pilot was being interrogated. [2] The Israeli premier said "the attacker, he calls out to the aircrew, 'Kill me, kill me'", making it "clear he was suicidal". [2] Netanyahu earlier credited the flydubai pilot, Indian national Smit Machchhar, as well as passengers, with averting catastrophe, after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed him and tried to crash the plane. [2] Netanyahu told Fox News that a disaster similar to the September 11, 2001 attacks "with bodies scattered in the desert" had been averted. [2] In an earlier interview with CBS News, Netanyahu had not ruled out the possibility that mental health was to blame. [2] Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, called it a "jihadist" attack, while Defence Minister Israel Katz also described the incident as "an attempted jihadist terror attack". [2] Netanyahu said he expected the United Arab Emirates to take the lead in the investigation, but that Israel would join the probe. [2] He said Israel would look at how the co-pilot was able to work on a flight to the country. [2] "We have constraints that say that you can't have pilots from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with Israel. Obviously he was able to go through that. How do we make sure that we screen pilots in advance?" Netanyahu told Fox News. [2] He said the pilots who collected passengers from Saudi Arabia after the incident had undergone background checks. [2]
International Reactions and Next Steps
Saudi Arabia's interior ministry said the co-pilot had been transferred from the kingdom to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday morning accompanied by an "Emirati security team", adding that their initial investigation showed he had attacked the plane's captain. [2] The UAE chief prosecutor announced Thursday that an investigation had been launched, including the possibility of "terrorist activity or intent". [2] The Indian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates met with the wounded captain, with the embassy saying he was in "good health and recovering well". [2] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described him as a "HERO", saying his valour helped save lives. [2] Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Thursday he would present "heroism" awards to five Israelis who helped overpower the co-pilot and prevented him from crashing the plane. [2] US President Donald Trump, after discussing the incident with Netanyahu, said: "It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job." [2] Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon described the plane as being "pretty much out of control" as the incident unfolded over Jordan. [2] "The co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane," she told reporters. [2] "It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralised him." [2]
What to watch next: The UAE investigation into possible terrorist activity or intent continues, with the co-pilot transferred and under interrogation, while the complex UK probe into the RAF Fairford incident examines foreign state involvement.
