Two men have been charged with offences under the National Security Act 2023 following an investigation into suspicious activity near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, of London, is charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service, alleged by investigators to be Iran, in relation to conduct said to have taken place between 31 August and 28 September 2026. Nouman Essghir, also 24 and from London, is charged with entering a prohibited place on 22 August 2026 for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom. Essghir was initially arrested near RAF Fairford on 27 September, but the date of his alleged offence is earlier than that police operation. Both were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 27 October 2026.
The charges were announced by the Crown Prosecution Service following a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation. Both defendants are entitled to a fair trial and the charges are allegations, not findings of guilt.
What happened near RAF Fairford?
Police responded to reports of suspicious vehicles close to the airbase in the early hours of 27 September. Five men were arrested after three vehicles were reported near Whelford. Bomb-disposal specialists examined the vehicles, a precautionary cordon was imposed and around 85 households were evacuated.
Police subsequently confirmed that no improvised explosive devices were found, although a quantity of petrol was recovered. The original five men were released on bail while inquiries continued.
Two further arrests were made in October, taking the total number of people arrested in connection with the investigation to seven. On 20 October, police re-arrested two men on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, and obtained further detention warrants the following day.
According to reporting on the charges, Essghir was among those re-arrested; the other man was subsequently released without charge in respect of that detention but remained on police bail in relation to his earlier arrest. Five other men arrested during the investigation remain on bail.
What police have said about Iran
Counter Terrorism Policing has said it considers Iranian state involvement in the activity near the base to be highly likely. However, investigators have also said they are still examining the nature, extent and purpose of any such involvement. Iran has denied involvement.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said on 20 October that the investigation remained live and that officers were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry. That police assessment should not be confused with proof of the charges against either defendant.
Why RAF Fairford matters
RAF Fairford is a British military airbase used by the United States Air Force, including B-1 bombers. Its role in US military operations connected with Iran has made the investigation especially sensitive. The significance of the base does not, by itself, establish the motive of any individual accused in this case.
What remains unknown
- What evidence prosecutors will present against each defendant.
- Whether a court will find any Iranian state involvement established.
- What, if anything, investigators conclude about the intended objective of the activity near the base.
