A US B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford. Reuters
A US B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford. Reuters

Two men charged over suspected RAF Fairford airbase terror plot

Tariq Tahir

​Two men ⁠have been charged ​with offences ⁠under ‌the UK's National ​Security Act following an incident in September at RAF Fairford, ​an ‌airbase ⁠used ​by ​the ‌US ⁠to strike ⁠Iran.

Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service, while Nouman Essghir, 24, was charged with one offence of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, said ​police believed the country Abdulkarim was assisting was Iran.

Mr Taylor said that Mr Essghir, a British national from Westminster, had been charged on Tuesday under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023 over suspected activity on 22 August.

The US ⁠removed its bombers from the base on security grounds shortly after five British men were arrested outside the military base in southwest England in the early hours of September 27.

A 25-year-old UK-Iranian national, who was re-arrested last week, has been released without charge but remains on police bail following his initial arrest earlier this month, counter-terror police have said.

A major incident was declared after three suspicious vehicles were seen near the US-operated airbase in Gloucestershire on 27 September.

In total eight men have been arrested as part of the counter-terror police investigation.

Six men remain on police bail, including four men from London who were arrested near the airbase on September 27.

"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," said Frank Ferguson, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division.

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

Updated: October 27, 2026, 9:47 AM