Two men charged over alleged plot to assist Iran after RAF Fairford incident
Two British nationals have been charged over an alleged plot to assist Iran’s intelligence service as part of the investigation into the suspected terror incident near RAF Fairford.
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, of London, would appear at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act 2023.
He will appear alongside Nouman Essghir, 24, also of London, who is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK, after initially being arrested at the scene near the Gloucestershire base on 27 September and then re-arrested on 20 October.
CTP said they believed the foreign intelligence service involved in the case was Iran’s.
The assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of national counter-terrorism policing in the UK, 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.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article quotes police saying a range of incidents were directed by the Iranian state but never reports that Iran has denied any involvement in the RAF Fairford incident. Without it, a reader hears only the police account of who was behind the incident. The article's own hedging, with alleged and believed, keeps this gap minor.
How we know
- BBC News reported“Iran has previously denied any involvement in the incident at RAF Fairford.”Two charged over alleged plot to assist Iran in RAF Fairford incident (opens in a new tab)
- The Jerusalem Post reported“which Tehran's ambassador to Britain has denied”Two men charged in UK with helping Iran over RAF Fairford incident (opens in a new tab)
“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.”
A 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national who was also arrested on 20 October on suspicion of aiding Iran’s intelligence service has been released without charge but remains on police bail after being arrested on 1 October on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
Five other men arrested during the investigation remain on police bail.
Frank Ferguson, the 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. We will continue to work closely with our partners as this complex investigation continues.”
Read the original article on theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)