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Two British citizens have been formally charged with national security offences related to an event that took place at RAF Fairford last September. Among them, one individual is suspected of aiding Iran’s intelligence service. Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, aged 24, faces charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service following the incident near the Gloucestershire airbase.
Another 24-year-old, Nouman Essghir, has been accused of unlawfully entering a restricted area with intentions harmful to the UK on 22 August, almost a month before the main incident. Both men are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in the near future.
The episode involved three suspicious vans spotted near the US-operated airbase on 27 September. Although no explosives were discovered, authorities did find petrol inside the vehicles. A significant security perimeter was established around the base for several days afterward to ensure safety. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, who leads the counter-terrorism unit, confirmed that Essghir was charged under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023. He was initially arrested at RAF Fairford on the day of the incident and was detained again on 20 October.
Additionally, a 25-year-old man holding both UK and Iranian nationalities was re-arrested on 20 October on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service but has since been released without formal charges. He remains on police bail following his initial detention on 1 October relating to suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. The October re-arrests prompted a detailed police interview with Abdulkarim. In total, eight men have been apprehended during the ongoing counter-terrorism investigation. This group includes five individuals initially detained near the airbase in September on charges connected to the Explosives Act, with further allegations related to planning terrorist activities. Currently, six men continue to be held on police bail.
Iran has denied any connection to the events at RAF Fairford. The airbase itself has served as a forward operating site for the US Air Force for many years. Recently, it has been utilized for flying B-1 and B-52 bombers to the Middle East following UK authorization for defensive operations targeting Iran. After the September incident, the United States withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford and repatriated them to the US
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