Two British nationals have been charged with national security offences in connection with an incident near RAF Fairford in September, with one man suspected of assisting Iran's intelligence service. Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, faces a charge of assisting a foreign intelligence service following the event near the airbase in Gloucestershire. Nouman Essghir, also 24, has been charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK, an offence allegedly committed on August 22.

Both men are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. The charges stem from an investigation into suspicious activity near the US-operated airbase on September 27, when three vans were observed. Police subsequently found no explosive materials in the vehicles but did seize a quantity of petrol. A significant cordon was established around the base for several days following the incident.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of counter-terror police, stated that Essghir, a British national from Westminster, was charged under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023. He was initially arrested at the scene near RAF Fairford on September 27 and re-arrested on October 20. A 25-year-old UK-Iranian national, who was also re-arrested on October 20 on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, has since been released without charge. This individual remains on police bail following an earlier arrest on October 1 on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.

The October re-arrests led to detectives interviewing Abdulkarim. In total, eight men have been arrested as part of the ongoing counter-terror police investigation. This includes five British nationals from London who were apprehended near the airbase in September on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act, before being further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. Six men currently remain on police bail.

Assistant Commissioner Taylor indicated that counter-terror police have observed a series of incidents in recent months that are believed to have been orchestrated by the Iranian state. Iran has previously denied any involvement in the RAF Fairford incident. The airbase has a long history of being utilized by the US Air Force (USAF) as a forward operating location.

In recent months, the US has deployed B-1 and B-52 bombers from RAF Fairford to the Middle East. This deployment followed the UK's approval of a request for the base to be used for defensive strikes against Iran. In the aftermath of the September incident, the US military withdrew its bombers from the base and returned them to the United States.

At the time, US President Donald Trump stated that the aircraft were removed due to unspecified threats to the base. The incident and subsequent charges highlight ongoing security concerns related to international activities and potential state-sponsored interference.