Two men charged under National Security Act after RAF Fairford incident

Two British nationals have been charged with national security offences following an investigation into an incident at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, BBC News and the Guardian reported. Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, 24, both of London, were charged under the National Security Act 2023, according to the Guardian. Both men are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court later, BBC News said. [1][3][4]

BBC News and the Guardian reported that Abdulkarim was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. BBC News noted the charge follows an incident near the base in September, and reported that the suspect is accused of assisting Iran's intelligence service. Essghir was charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom, both outlets reported. [1][3][4]

The charges follow an incident on 27 September when three suspicious vehicles were seen near the airbase, BBC News reported. Police found petrol inside the vehicles and established a large cordon around the base for several days. According to the BBC News report, Essghir's charge of entering a prohibited place relates to an earlier date on 22 August. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, counter terrorism police previously re-arrested two men in connection with the security incident at the airbase. RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station located in Gloucestershire that is operated by the United States Air Force and routinely supports strategic bomber operations in Europe. [12][13][14]