Two Charged Over RAF Fairford Incident As Investigators Pursue Iran Link

Two British men have been charged under the UK’s National Security Act 2023 as part of a counter-terrorism investigation into suspected activity near RAF Fairford, a military airbase used by the US Air Force in Gloucestershire, UK’s Counter Terrorism Police said on Tuesday.

Nouman Essghir, 24, a British national from Westminster, London, was charged under Section 4 of the Act over suspected activity on August 22. He was initially arrested near RAF Fairford on September 27 and re-arrested on October 20, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter Terrorism Police said.

Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, also 24 and a British national from Westminster, was charged under Section 3, which makes it an offence to assist a foreign intelligence service. Police said they believe the intelligence service involved in Karim’s case is Iran’s.

Both men were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, according to the police statement.

Iran Link Under Investigation

Taylor said investigators believed Iran was involved in the case but were continuing to establish the extent of any involvement and the purpose of the suspected activity.

“We have seen a range of incidents in recent months that we believe have been directed by the Iranian state,” he said, adding that police and security services were working together to identify and respond to the threat.

However, the police have not established publicly the full nature of the suspected activity or the extent of any foreign state involvement. The charges are allegations and do not establish guilt.

A 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national who was re-arrested on October 20 has been released without charge but remains on police bail following his initial arrest on October 1. Five other men arrested in connection with the investigation also remain on police bail, police said.

September Incident

The investigation began after police received a report at around 12.45 am on September 27 about three suspicious vehicles travelling towards RAF Fairford. Armed officers arrested five men in the nearby Whelford area on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act, Gloucestershire Constabulary said at the time.

A 400-metre cordon was established while the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit examined the vehicles. Around 85 households were advised to evacuate as a precaution.

Counter Terrorism Police subsequently took the lead in the investigation. Police said the inquiry involved multiple lines of investigation and that evidence-gathering was continuing.

The incident had drawn wider attention because RAF Fairford serves as a key operating base for American heavy bombers. The US withdrew its bombers from the base in early October, days after the arrests, although no official statement established that the aircraft movement was directly linked to the investigation.

The latest charges mark a significant development in the inquiry, but investigators have yet to publicly set out the full suspected plan or establish the extent of any foreign intelligence involvement.