British prosecutors charged Mohmed Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both 24, under the National Security Act for offences linked to the September 27 incident at RAF Fairford, with police believing one assisted Iranian intelligence.
British prosecutors charged two London men on Tuesday under the National Security Act over the September 27 security incident at RAF Fairford, the first formal charges in the case.
Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, faces a charge of assisting a foreign intelligence service between August 31 and September 28, while Nouman Essghir, 24, is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom on August 22. Both will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court the same day, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Counter Terrorism Policing said it believes the foreign intelligence service involved is Iran. The Gloucestershire base had hosted US B-1 bombers used in strikes on Iran earlier this year; those aircraft were withdrawn shortly after the incident. Investigators found a quantity of petrol but no explosives.
The Crown Prosecution Service statement confirms the charges and the court date. Multiple independent outlets including Reuters and the Financial Times report the same names, ages, and charge details, and quote Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor linking the matter to Iranian activity. No public statement from the men or their representatives was available at the time of reporting.
The charges mark a concrete step in an investigation that began with the arrest of several men near the base after reports of suspicious vans. Five others remain on bail. The outcome of the court process will clarify whether the allegations of Iranian-linked activity hold up under scrutiny, with the next hearing providing the first public test of the evidence.
People Sentiments Public Mood: Negative
- Frank Ferguson (CPS): 'The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute two individuals with National Security Act offences'
- Laurence Taylor (Counter Terrorism Policing): linked charges to Iranian activity in the UK