Pair charged over RAF Fairford incident - with suspect accused of assisting Iranian intelligence
Pair charged over RAF Fairford incident - with suspect accused of assisting Iranian intelligence
Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, 24, were charged under the National Security Act 2023.
Tuesday 27 October 2026 10:07, UK
Two British men have been charged with national security offences following an incident at RAF Fairford last month.
Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, 24, were charged under the National Security Act 2023.
Abdulkarim, of London, has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service - allegedly Iran - after police interviewed a further man under caution in the last week.
Essghir, also of London, has been charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
Sky News never says that Essghir was charged under Section 4 for suspected activity on Saturday 22 August, as police told other outlets. The article ties his charge to the incident of 27 September and his arrest at the scene that day, so a reader takes the charge to concern that night rather than an earlier date.
How we know
- ITV News reported“was charged under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, for suspected activity on Saturday 22 August”Two men charged under National Security Act after suspected RAF Fairford terror plot (opens in a new tab)
- Daily Mail reported“for suspected activity on Saturday 22 August”Two men are charged with National Security Act offences following RAF Fairford 'terror plot' - as suspect believed to be assisting Iran (opens in a new tab)
Counter terror police said the two men would appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on October 27.
Essghir was one of two men re-arrested last week - having originally been arrested at the scene in Gloucester on 27 September.
The second man has been released without charge, but remains under police bail following his first arrest on 1 October.
Frank Ferguson, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS 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.
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"We will continue to work closely with our partners as this complex investigation continues."
Six other men arrested during the investigation remain on police bail.
Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said: "We have seen a range of incidents in recent months that we believe have been directed by the Iranian state, and as the director general of MI5 said just the other week, we are working together to intervene, identify and respond to that threat.
"The public can help us with this, and as always, I would urge them to report anything that they're worried about - those reports can and do make a difference."
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Three suspicious vans were stopped near the airbase in Gloucestershire on 27 September.
Earlier this month, the US removed its bombers from RAF Fairford.
US President Donald Trump later told reporters outside the White House that "threats" led to the decision to remove the bombers, including B-1s, B-2s and B-52s.
However, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham insisted the RAF base remains secure.
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