UK Charges 2 Men Over RAF Fairford Incident, Alleging Iran Intelligence Links
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 27
UK Charges 2 Men Over RAF Fairford Incident, Alleging Iran Intelligence Links
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 27
Summary
Two 24-year-old British men were charged Tuesday under the National Security Act after a September security incident at RAF Fairford, a U.S.-used air base in Gloucestershire.
Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim of Westminster was accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service—police said they believe it was Iran—while Nouman Essghir was charged with approaching a prohibited place in a way prejudicial to UK safety.
Sept. 27 arrests near the base triggered the case: five men traveling in three white vans toward the perimeter were detained in the early hours, with Essghir first arrested outside the site.
Police initially suspected explosives and terrorism offenses, but later found only a container of gasoline in a vehicle; all five men were subsequently released on bail before the new charges.