Two men charged in U.K. over RAF Fairford incident allegedly linked to Iran

LONDON – Two men appeared in a London court on Tuesday charged under Britain’s National Security Act following last month’s security incident at the Royal Air Force Fairford military base, with prosecutors alleging one tried to assist Iranian intelligence in Britain.

RAF Fairford had been used by U.S. bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, but they were withdrawn on security grounds shortly after five British men were arrested outside the base in southwestern England in the early hours of Sept. 27.

The circumstances of the incident, which remain largely unexplained, attracted huge international attention, coming at a time of heightened concern about the security implications for Western states of the war between the United States and Iran.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said earlier this month that the activity at RAF Fairford was likely to have been coordinated in Iran, which Tehran’s ambassador to Britain has denied.

British national Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, was charged with engaging in conduct that was likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service between Aug. 31 and Sept. 28.

Abdulkarim appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court alongside Nouman Essghir, a 24-year-old dual British-Iranian national who was first arrested outside RAF Fairford on Sept. 27 and is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the U.K. on Aug. 22.

Prosecutors said Abdulkarim, who was in a wheelchair in court, arranged for five men to take three vans and drive to RAF Fairford at the behest of a man known to them as Ali.

The five men bought around £300 ($400) worth of petrol, which was stored in drums, prosecutor Louise Gray said.

“One of them was told there was a bomb in the van ... (and) one of them called 999,” Gray added, with police arriving shortly after.

Gray said Essghir had conducted reconnaissance of the base on instructions from Ali in August, adding that he was also in one of the vans that drove to RAF Fairford the following month.

After the five men were told there was a bomb, Gray said Essghir sent a message to Ali asking “wtf (what the f---) is going on” but received no reply.

Abdulkarim was granted bail ahead of his next court appearance in November. Essghir has been remanded in custody.

Police said that six other people, four of whom are British nationals who were arrested outside RAF Fairford on Sept. 27, remain on police bail.

The decision to bail suspects after an apparent major incident had drawn scrutiny, but on Tuesday police said that decision had helped secure charges against the two men.