Two men charged under UK National Security Act after RAF Fairford incident

British prosecutors have charged Mohmed Abdulkarim, a 24-year-old British-Iranian dual national, and Nouman Essghir, a 24-year-old British citizen, with offences under the National Security Act following a security incident at RAF Fairford in September. Abdulkarim faces a charge of assisting Iran’s intelligence service, while Essghir is accused of entering a prohibited area for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom. Both are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

The incident prompted a large police and army bomb-disposal operation after Essghir was detained outside the base on September 27, leading to the evacuation of dozens of local residents. Six other men were arrested and later released on bail as investigations continue. The airbase, located in Gloucestershire, had been used by U.S. bombers for strikes against Iran earlier in the year, and U.S. B-1 bombers were withdrawn from the site shortly after the episode.

"Police believed the country Abdulkarim was assisting was Iran," said Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing.

"The activity at RAF Fairford was likely to have been coordinated in Iran," stated Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a claim denied by Iran’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The case follows a series of security alerts, including 20 credible Iranian-backed threats to kill or kidnap individuals in the UK last year, and recent legislation banning support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and related groups.