Euronews, on UK Politics, 27 October 2026

6.0out of 10Serious

Two men charged over RAF Fairford air base incident, with one accused of assisting foreign intelligence

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Two men have been charged under the UK's National Security Act following an incident near a military air base last month, police announced on Tuesday.The pair have been named as Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, also 24.It comes after five men were arrested near the RAF Fairford air base in Gloucestershire, South West England, in late September after police received reports of several suspicious vehicles in the area.“Earlier this morning, Nouman Essghir, 24, a British national from the Borough of Westminster, London, was charged under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, for suspected activity on Saturday 22 August.

He was first arrested at the scene in Gloucestershire on Sunday 27 September, and re-arrested on 20 October," assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of UK National Counter Terrorism Policing, said in a statement shared on Tuesday.He added that Abdulkarim "has been charged under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which makes it an offence to assist a foreign intelligence service.""In this case, we believe that country to be Iran," Taylor said.Both were due to appear in court on Tuesday.Five other men arrested in connection with the case remain on police bail.RAF Fairford is home to the US Air Force's 501st Combat Support Wing headquarters and the 420th Air Base squadron.

It has also served as the USAF Global Strike Command's preferred bomber forward operating location in Europe.In July, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it was aware that the base was being used by US bombers as part of Washington's military operations against Iran and warned the UK that "any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces."

The US has now withdrawn its bombers from Fairford, with President Donald Trump saying the decision had been made in response to "threats."

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What we found (1)

Euronews reports the charges against two men over the RAF Fairford incident and attributes the accusations to police. It ends the piece on Prime Minister Andy Burnham's claim that the IRGC directed the incident. It leaves out that Iran's ambassador to Britain has denied this, a denial every other outlet reporting the same charges included.

  1. Gives a contested claim the last word

    Serious

    “British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said earlier this month that the September incident was "almost certainly directed" by the IRGC.”

    Why this matters
    Euronews closes the article on Burnham's claim that the IRGC "almost certainly directed" the incident and sets nothing against it.
    The impression it gives
    A reader comes away believing Iran's role is settled and uncontested, with the Prime Minister's word as the final verdict on a case that has not yet reached trial.
    The context
    Iran's ambassador to Britain has denied that the activity was coordinated in Iran. Reuters, the Jerusalem Post, the Irish Times and Al-Monitor all report the denial alongside Burnham's claim. Euronews never mentions it.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said earlier this month that the September incident was "almost certainly directed" by the IRGC, a claim Iran's ambassador to Britain has denied.

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