Two men charged under National Security Act after suspected RAF Fairford terror plot

Two men have been charged over a suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford, the Crown Prosecution Service says. Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, 24, have been charged under the National Security Act. The CPS added that it followed an "extensive investigation" into activity near RAF Fairford on Sunday, September 27. One of the men, Essghir, was first arrested at the scene in Gloucestershire on September 27 and re-arrested on 20 October.

He and Abdulkarim will appear in court this morning. Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said: “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.

“Essghir will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court this morning. “A second man, a 25-year-old dual UK/Iranian national, re-arrested on the same date, has been released without charge. However, he remains on police bail following his first arrest on Thursday 1 October. “Following the re-arrest of these individuals, detectives also interviewed a further man under caution. “As a result, Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, a 24-year-old 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.

“In this case, we believe that country to be Iran. Karim will appear at Westminster Magistrates today. “The five other men arrested in connection with this investigation, remain on police bail. “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.”

In total, six men remain on police bail following the incident.