Two British men were charged on Tuesday over the security scare at RAF Fairford, the US-operated air base in England, with police saying they believe one of them was helping Iran's intelligence service.
Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, is accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service between August 31 and September 28 under the National Security Act 2023. Counter Terrorism Policing said it believes that country to be Iran. Nouman Essghir, also 24 and from London, is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK on August 22. Both were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
Essghir was one of five men arrested near the Gloucestershire base on September 27, after three suspicious vans were found nearby and dozens of homes were evacuated. No explosives were found, but police recovered a quantity of petrol. A 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national who was re-arrested alongside Essghir on October 20 has been released without charge but remains on bail.
RAF Fairford has been used by US bombers for strikes against Iran this year, and the US withdrew its bombers from the base after the incident. Tehran has denied any involvement.
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