Two British men charged over ‘terror plot’ at RAF Fairford named

Two men are due to appear in court today after the suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford (Picture: David Brown/Getty Images) Two men from London have been charged following a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford. The Crown Prosecution Service named Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, 24, who have been charged under the National Security Act 2003. Abdulkarim, a British national from Westminster, London, has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service believed to be linked to Iran. Essghir, also a British national living in Westminster, has been charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. Both men are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. 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. Armed police guarded the safety perimeter outside RAF Fairford following the incident (Picture: Reuters) ‘We will continue to work closely with our partners as this complex investigation continues.’ Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said police believe that Abdulkarim was assisting Iran. He 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, Mohammed 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. Abdulkarim will appear at Westminster Magistrates today.’ The villages of Whelford and Kempsford were put in the spotlight after the incident at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire last month. Three white vans were intercepted outside the military base, which at the time housed US fighter jets used in operations against Iran. Following the alleged plot, Donald Trump’s administration pulled US warplanes from the base. Prime Minister Andy Burnham accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the incident, saying the regime’s force was ‘almost certainly’ behind it. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, denied it, saying the PM was ‘barking up the wrong tree.’ Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. Arrow MORE: Luxury yacht among £50,000,000 in assets seized from British pair in unexplained wealth order Arrow MORE: Britain and France carry out first-ever joint nuclear drills in ‘decisive milestone’ Arrow MORE: Camp leader who drugged and sexually abused boys loses bid to reduce sentence News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.