Two men charged over incident at RAF Fairford base

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 10:02 · Archive

Two men have been charged with national security offences over a suspected plot against RAF Fairford, a US military base in England.

Two men aged 24 have been charged under the National Security Act following an incident at RAF Fairford on 27 September. British-Iranian dual national Mohmed Abdulkarim is charged with assisting Iran's intelligence service, while British citizen Nouman Essghir is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. Both are due to appear in court.

Essghir was arrested outside the base when armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts swarmed the rural area. Scores of residents were evacuated from their homes as authorities searched for explosives. Abdulkarim was arrested in the week before the charges were brought. Six other men have been arrested and released on bail as investigations continue.

British authorities have linked Tehran to the incident, which led the US to withdraw its bombers from RAF Fairford. The base in western England has been used by American bombers to strike Iran during this year's conflict. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the apparent plot was 'almost certainly' directed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Iran has denied involvement, though it has previously stated that it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.

How it is being reported

• 2 men charged with UK national security offenses over incident at US-run military base in EnglandU.K. prosecutors say that two men have been charged with national security offenses over last month’s incident at RAF Fairford.Clickorlando · 27 Oct, 09:10
• 2 men charged with UK national security offenses over incident at US-run military base in EnglandU.K. prosecutors say that two men have been charged with national security offenses over last month’s incident at RAF Fairford.News4Jax · 27 Oct, 09:10

In this story: Mohmed Abdulkarim · Nouman Essghir · RAF Fairford · Iran · UK · Andy Burnham · Iran's Revolutionary Guard

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem