Two men charged over suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford
Two men have been charged with national security offences in an investigation into a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire, England. The Crown Prosecution Service, the body that brings criminal cases in England and Wales, said Mohmed Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both 24, were charged under the National Security Act 2023, a law passed to deal with threats to the state.
Abdulkarim, of London, has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. Essghir, also of London, has been charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. "Prohibited place" is the legal term for protected sites, and "prejudicial" means harmful to the interests of the country.
The two men will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday. Magistrates' courts handle the early stages of criminal cases.
RAF Fairford lies about 90 miles (145 km) west of London. Reuters reported that the base has been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran.
The investigation began in the early hours of Sunday 27 September. Police received reports of three vehicles travelling towards the base at 12.45am, and armed officers responded. Five men were arrested in the Whelford area near RAF Fairford on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences. Those five men were in their 20s.
Further arrests followed. A 22-year-old British national was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts in connection with an incident close to the base. A 25-year-old dual UK and Iranian national was arrested in the City of Westminster, in central London. On Tuesday 20 October, counter-terrorism officers re-arrested two more men in the same inquiry.
Five other men arrested during the investigation remain on police bail, meaning they have been released while inquiries continue.
Counter-terrorism police have said that it is highly likely there is Iranian state involvement in the incident near the Gloucestershire base on 27 September, according to the Guardian.
