Two Men Charged Under UK National Security Act Over RAF Fairford Incident
Two Men Charged Under National Security Act Over RAF Fairford Incident
British prosecutors have charged two 24-year-old men under the National Security Act following a security incident in September at RAF Fairford, a military airbase in Gloucestershire, England, used by the United States.
British-Iranian dual national Mohmed Abdulkarim and British citizen Nouman Essghir, both aged 24 and from London, were scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. Abdulkarim faces a charge of assisting a foreign intelligence service, specifically engaging in conduct likely to materially assist Iran’s intelligence service. Essghir is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom on August 22.
Arrests and Bomb Disposal Response at the Gloucestershire Airbase
The investigation unfolded after armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts swarmed the rural area outside RAF Fairford on September 27. Dozens of local residents were evacuated from their homes while emergency personnel searched for explosives. Police later recovered a quantity of gasoline from three suspicious vans found at the scene, though no explosives were discovered.
Essghir was initially arrested outside the base on September 27 under the Explosives Act and later released on bail before being re-arrested on October 20. Abdulkarim was arrested in the week prior to the charges being announced.
Official Linkages to Iran and the Withdrawal of US Bombers
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, stated that investigators believe the foreign state Abdulkarim was assisting is Iran. Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously stated that the activity at the airbase was likely coordinated by Iran, a claim that the Iranian ambassador to the UK has denied.
In the wake of the September 27 security breach, United States B-1 bombers stationed at RAF Fairford were withdrawn from the site. The airbase had been utilized by American bombers to carry out strikes on Iran earlier in the year.
The Crown Prosecution Service and Counter Terrorism Policing continue their active investigation into the remaining six suspects on police bail.
🇬🇧🇮🇷 UPDATE: Two men have been charged under Britain’s national security law over a suspected plot at RAF Fairford, a UK air base used by US bombers.Mohmed Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both 24, appear in a London court today. Police have said the investigation is linked to… https://t.co/dJRUFq1t2j pic.twitter.com/7FMLd3ce1g