Two Men Charged Over RAF Fairford Incident; Police Believe the Foreign Intelligence Service Is Iran's

Since five men were arrested near RAF Fairford on Sept. 27 and the U.S. pulled its bombers out of the Gloucestershire base, the case has had arrests, releases and re-arrests but no charges. That changed today, Oct. 27.

The Crown Prosecution Service charged two 24-year-old British nationals from London under the National Security Act 2023. Both are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court today.

Who is charged with what

Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim is charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. Prosecutors allege that between Aug. 31 and Sept. 28 he engaged in conduct likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities.

The CPS did not name the country. Counter Terrorism Policing says it believes the service is Iran's.

Nouman Essghir is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK, under Section 4 of the Act. He was arrested at the scene near the base on Sept. 27 and re-arrested on Oct. 20. The charge relates to an alleged entry on Aug. 22, a month before the incident, according to the BBC's account of the charging details.

These are allegations. Neither man has been tried, and no plea has been reported.

What police found in September

On Sept. 27, armed police and bomb-disposal teams searched the area around the base, and residents of a nearby town were evacuated. Officers found three vans parked near an entrance to the base. They contained petrol. No explosive materials were found.

A large cordon stayed in place around the base for several days.

Police have not publicly said what the vans were meant to do. The charges announced today do not allege an attack plot. They allege assistance to a foreign intelligence service and a prohibited-place offence.

The wider investigation

Eight men have been arrested in total. Six remain on police bail. Five of the eight are British nationals from London who were arrested near the base and held first under the Explosives Act, then on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.

A seventh suspect, a 22-year-old Londoner, was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts earlier this month.

A 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national was first arrested on Oct. 1 on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. He was re-arrested on Oct. 20 on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. He has been released without charge and remains on bail.

Detectives interviewed Abdulkarim after those October re-arrests.

Separately, police arrested two Latvian nationals living in the UK, aged 32 and 36, on Oct. 8 after they were found inside RAF Molesworth, a base used as a U.S. and NATO intelligence center. They were held on suspicion of trespass, criminal damage and espionage. Commander Helen Flanagan said then that police were "keeping an open mind" about their motivation.

What officials say about Iran

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of national counter-terrorism policing, said police had seen "a range of incidents in recent months that we believe have been directed by the Iranian state." He said MI5 and police are working together "to intervene, identify and respond to that threat."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told lawmakers earlier this month that the incident was "highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard."

Iran rejects that. The Iranian Embassy in London said Tehran "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran" to the incident.

The backdrop is not in dispute. Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned over the summer that any military base used to launch strikes on Iran is a legitimate target. The U.S. has flown B-1 and B-52 bombers from Fairford toward the Middle East after the UK approved a request to use the base for defensive strikes against Iran.

The bomber pullout

After the September incident, the U.S. flew its bombers home. President Donald Trump said the aircraft were removed because of "some threats" to the base and later described a threat "linked to Iran." He gave no specifics.

The base has served as a forward operating location for the U.S. Air Force for decades. British officials have insisted their bases are safe.

What comes next

Frank Ferguson, chief crown prosecutor of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said prosecutors "will continue to work closely with our partners as this complex investigation continues."

Six men remain on bail. Police have given no timetable for further charging decisions, and the court has not yet set out how the two cases will proceed after today's hearing. Whether any of the remaining suspects face charges, and what the petrol-filled vans were for, are still open.