Two men charged in probe of U.S. air base incident
British prosecutors filed charges against two London residents who were arrested last week in connection with a September incident at RAF Fairford.
By Josephine Clarke ·
The Crown Prosecution Service charged Mohmed Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir with serious security offenses on Tuesday. Both men are 24 years old, British nationals, and residents of London. They were arrested during the week of Oct. 19 on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence services.
The charges stem from events at RAF Fairford in western England. The base has hosted U.S. long-range bombers for years and was used to launch strikes on Iran during the recent conflict. On Sept. 27, five men were detained near the airbase. Residents of a nearby town were evacuated while armed police and bomb-disposal teams searched the area. Investigators found gasoline in three vans driven by the suspects, which were parked near a base entrance, but they did not find explosives.
Abdulkarim faces two charges under the 2023 National Security Act. Prosecutors allege he assisted a foreign intelligence service in September and engaged in conduct likely to materially assist that service in U.K.-related activities. Essghir faces a national security offense for approaching a prohibited place for a purpose he knew was prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom.
Counter Terror Police arrested Abdulkarim alongside a 25-year-old British-Iranian dual national. That second man was released on bail pending further investigation. The dual national was detained on Oct. 1. Police have stated that six men remain free on bail in relation to the incident. This group includes the four men arrested on Sept. 27 and the two men detained subsequently.
All six men on bail are U.K. nationals and London residents in their 20s. Police said the four men from the initial Sept. 27 arrest remain under investigation and will be monitored. U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham addressed the incident, noting it prompted the U.S. Air Force to adjust its operations. Iranian officials have previously stated that any bases used to attack the country are legitimate targets. The Iranian Embassy in London rejected those links, describing media speculations connecting Iran to the incident as unfounded and malicious.
Source: CBS News
