UK charges two men over alleged plot to assist Iran in RAF Fairford incident

Two British men have been charged under the National Security Act over an incident at RAF Fairford airbase in southwest England last month. One of them is accused of helping a foreign intelligence service believed to be linked to Iran.

Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said both men are 24 years old and face separate charges.

This is the first time anyone has been charged over the incident. Police had arrested seven suspects in the days after the incident but later released them on bail.

Two men face separate charges

Nouman Essghir, 24, has been charged with entering or approaching a restricted site for a purpose considered “prejudicial” to the UK's interests. He was arrested at the scene in Gloucestershire, released on bail and arrested again last week.

Taylor said the charge was linked to “suspected activity” on August 22 but did not provide further details.

The second man, Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, was arrested after being questioned under caution over the past week. He has been charged with helping a foreign intelligence service.

“In this case, we believe that country to be Iran,” police said.

Both men are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Tuesday.

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Police suspect foreign intelligence involvement

Police were called to RAF Fairford in the early hours of September 27 after a local farmer reported a group of men with several white vans behaving in a “suspicious” manner.

“While some of the circumstances remain unclear, we are confident that this activity was conducted on behalf of a foreign intelligence service,” Taylor told reporters outside Metropolitan Police headquarters in London on Tuesday.

Days after the incident, the United States withdrew all its B-1 bombers from the airbase.

Police said last week that two of the seven original suspects had been arrested again, including Essghir.

US President Donald Trump earlier criticised the British authorities for releasing the suspects on bail.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said he was “surprised that they released them” and claimed US authorities “would not have released them”. He also linked the suspected plot to Iran.