RAF Fairford plot ‘coordinated by handler working on behalf of Iran’

Two men have been charged with national security offences after an investigation into a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, 24, were both charged under the National Security Act 2023.

Abdulkarim, of London, has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service, while Essghir, also of London, has been charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.

They will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday.

Five other men arrested during the investigation remain on police bail.

Counter-terrorism police previously said it was “highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement” in the incident near the Gloucestershire base on 27 September.

Frank Ferguson, the chief crown prosecutor for the CPS special crime and counter-terrorism division, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute two individuals with National Security Act offences following a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into a high-profile incident involving RAF Fairford.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners as this complex investigation continues.”