Two men charged under National Security Act after RAF Fairford incident

Mohmed Abdulkarim stands accused of conduct intended to materially assist a foreign intelligence service between late August and September 28. Prosecutors additionally charged Nouman Essghir, also 24, with entering a prohibited site for purposes prejudicial to the United Kingdom. Both men are scheduled to appear in a London court Tuesday.

The charges stem from a wider counter-terrorism investigation into an incident that occurred near the base in late September. Five individuals were initially detained on suspicion of terrorism and explosives-related offenses. Following the breach, the U.S. relocated long-range bombers out of the U.K., citing a credible threat linked to Tehran. Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously informed lawmakers that the operation was likely coordinated and directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, an assertion Tehran has formally denied. Frank Ferguson, a chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, emphasized that the investigation remains active and complex.