Two men from Westminster have been charged over an alleged plot to assist Iran’s intelligence service, linked to the RAF Fairford incident, counter-terrorism police have said. Eight men have now been arrested in the investigation.
The charges
- Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, from Westminster, has been charged under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023 with assisting a foreign intelligence service.
- Nouman Essghir, 24, also from Westminster, has been charged under Section 4 of the same Act with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. The alleged offence was on 22 August, weeks before he was arrested near the airbase alongside four other men.
Both men are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Other arrests
A 25-year-old UK-Iranian national, who was re-arrested on 20 October on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, has been released without charge. He remains on police bail after his initial arrest on 1 October on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.
The re-arrests in October led police to interview Mr Abdulkarim. Police earlier said the five men released on bail in September had raised questions and speculation about the investigation.
Police position on Iran
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, who leads National Counter Terrorism Policing, said officers had seen “a range of incidents in recent months that we believe have been directed by the Iranian state”. He said the decision-making around the September bail releases had led to “swifter progress, better evidence, and ultimately us securing the charges”.
Iran has previously denied any involvement in the incident at RAF Fairford.
Background
A major incident was declared after three suspicious vans were seen near the US-operated airbase on 27 September. Dozens of residents were evacuated and a large cordon was put in place. Police did not find explosive materials in the vans but seized a quantity of petrol.
US President Donald Trump said at the time he was “surprised” the men had been released. After the incident the US pulled its bombers out of the base and returned them to America. Trump said the aircraft were removed because of “some threats” to the base, without giving details.
Read more: our original report on the RAF Fairford incident, our earlier update on the re-arrests and our report on the charges.
This is a developing story. We will update it as more information becomes available.
