Prosecutors Allege Handler 'Ali' Directed RAF Fairford Van Plot, Funded by More Than £65,000 in Cash

Since five men were detained near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Sept. 27, the case has gone from a base evacuation and a bomber withdrawal to a courtroom. The Tuesday hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court is the first time prosecutors have set out what they say happened.

Their account centers on a man they know only as "Ali."

The prosecution's account

Prosecutor Louise Gray told the court that on Sept. 27 five men drove three vans to the base, parked, and got out on instructions from someone directing them remotely. One of the men was told there was a bomb in the vans. One of them then called 999.

According to Gray, the caller told police the group was from London and had been tasked with driving the vans for a new business venture. She alleged the organiser then told them to park, walk away, and run, saying he had planted a bomb.

Police found petrol in the vans and no explosives. Authorities evacuated 85 nearby houses while an explosives team examined the vehicles.

Prosecutors said the group bought around £300 worth of petrol and stored it in drums. One van was branded "Fuel2You," and the court heard the vans were bought to "purportedly start businesses."

Who is charged with what

Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, of London, is charged with engaging in conduct likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service between Aug. 31 and Sept. 28. Prosecutors allege he bought five vans, including the three driven to Fairford, along with mobile phones, fuel barrels, dash cams and screws.

The Telegraph reported that he was allegedly sent more than £65,000 in cash for these purchases, and that prosecutors say he used a codeword at a money exchange to collect the money. He was not among the five arrested at the base.

Nouman Essghir, 24, also of London, is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK on Aug. 22. Prosecutors allege he drove around the base's perimeter at Ali's request, video-calling him to show the site, and returned a month later in the van convoy.

Gray told the court that after the bomb warning, Essghir messaged Ali asking what was going on. He got no reply.

The court heard both men had known Ali for years, Abdulkarim for about 10. Prosecutors say Ali is now believed to be abroad. They also said he has been linked to a drone incident at the Israeli embassy earlier this year.

Abdulkarim, who appeared in a wheelchair and was described as having "vulnerabilities," was bailed. His conditions include a 9pm to 7am electronically monitored curfew and surrendering his passport. Essghir was remanded in custody. Both are due at the Old Bailey on Nov. 20.

These are allegations. Neither man has been convicted.

Iran's role and the police position

Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said police consider it "highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement" and that investigators are still examining "what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said earlier this month that the plot was "almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard." Iran rejects that. Its ambassador to the UK, Seyed Ali Mousavi, said the British government has no evidence linking Tehran to the incident, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.

Police have not said what the intended outcome was.

The charges are also narrower than the initial arrests. The five men at the base were first held on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and explosives offences. The two charged face National Security Act counts.

The bail question

Police released the original suspects on bail, a decision Taylor acknowledged "sparked significant questions and speculation." He said it "led to swifter progress, better evidence and ultimately us securing the charges." He added that decisions in the investigation "can sometimes appear illogical to those on the outside."

Five other men arrested during the investigation remain on police bail.

The wider backdrop

The Pentagon had used Fairford to fly bombing missions into Iran during this year's conflict. U.S. B-1 bombers left the base days after the arrests following an unspecified threat. President Donald Trump has said the men were planning "big damage" and that the U.S. had tracked them "for a long time."

MI5 Director General Ken McCallum has warned that Iran and Russia are intensifying attacks in Britain, including on Jewish sites and military targets. More than 50 people have been arrested over Iran-linked plots in the past year, he said.

The next scheduled step is the Nov. 20 Old Bailey appearance. Whether prosecutors can show who Ali is, and whom he answered to, remains the central open question.