Two British nationals have been charged with national security offences following an investigation into a suspicious incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire in September. One of the men is accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service suspected of being linked to Iran.
Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. Nouman Essghir, also 24, faces a charge of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
Both men are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 27 October.
The investigation began after three suspicious vans were spotted near the US-operated airbase on 27 September. Police found no explosives in the vehicles but seized a quantity of petrol. A large security cordon was subsequently established around the base for several days.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of counter-terrorism policing, said Essghir, a British national from Westminster, had been charged under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023. He was arrested near RAF Fairford on 27 September and re-arrested on 20 October.
A 25-year-old British-Iranian national, who was also re-arrested on 20 October on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, has since been released without charge. He remains on police bail following his initial arrest on 1 October on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.
The October re-arrests led detectives to interview Abdulkarim, according to the report.
In total, eight men have been arrested as part of the counter-terrorism investigation. Five British nationals from London were initially arrested near the airbase in September on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act before being further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. Six men remain on police bail.
Assistant Commissioner Taylor said counter-terrorism police had investigated “a range of incidents in recent months” that they believe were directed by the Iranian state.
Iran has previously denied involvement in the RAF Fairford incident.
US Bombers Withdrawn After Security Incident
RAF Fairford has served as a forward operating location for the US Air Force (USAF) for decades.
In recent months, the United States has flown B-1 and B-52 bombers from the base to the Middle East after the UK approved a request for the facility to be used for defensive strikes against Iran.
Following the September incident, the US withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford and returned them to America.
US President Donald Trump said the aircraft had been removed because of “some threats” to the base, but did not provide specific details.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are entitled to a fair trial.
