London: Two British men were charged on Tuesday morning under the National Security Act 2023 following the Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into activity near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Sunday 27 September, Counter Terrorism Policing said in an official statement. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed it had decided to prosecute both men, and both were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 27 October.
Source: Counter Terrorism Policing
Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, a British national from the Borough of Westminster, London, has been charged under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which makes it an offence to assist a foreign intelligence service, Counter Terrorism Policing said. "In this case, we believe that country to be Iran," Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of national Counter Terrorism Policing, said. Police spell the name Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, correcting an earlier version published on Tuesday morning. The allegation against Abdulkarim is a charge to be tested in court, not a finding of guilt.
Source: Counter Terrorism Policing
Nouman Essghir, 24, also a British national from Westminster, was charged under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023 for suspected activity on Saturday 22 August, police said. Essghir was first arrested at the scene in Gloucestershire on Sunday 27 September and was re-arrested on 20 October.
Source: Counter Terrorism Policing
Five others remain on bail; one man released without charge
A second man re-arrested on the same date — a 25-year-old dual UK/Iranian national — has been released without charge, but remains on police bail following his first arrest on Thursday 1 October, police said. The five other men arrested in connection with the investigation also remain on police bail. In total, seven men have been arrested during the investigation, which began after reports of suspicious vehicles near the airbase on 27 September; vehicles examined afterwards contained no improvised explosive devices, though a quantity of petrol was recovered, police said in an earlier update.
Source: Counter Terrorism Policing
CPS Chief Crown Prosecutor Frank Ferguson, of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: "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. We will continue to work closely with our partners as this complex investigation continues." The CPS reminded the public that proceedings are active and both men have the right to a fair trial.
Source: Crown Prosecution Service
RAF Fairford is a British-owned base that hosts the US Air Force, and US B-1B Lancer bombers were stationed there at the time of the September incident before later being withdrawn, AnewZ reported. AnewZ also reported that Iran has strongly denied any involvement in the Fairford incident, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying the UK was "barking up the wrong tree" — that denial is Iran's stated position, reported here as its claim. Taylor said police have seen a range of recent incidents they believe were directed by the Iranian state; that assessment is the police position and has not been established in court.
Source: AnewZ