Pair charged over RAF Fairford incident - with suspect accused of assisting Iranian intelligence

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.

Counter terror police said the two men would appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 27 October, 2026.

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.

"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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A complex investigation

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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(c) Sky News 2026: Pair charged over RAF Fairford incident - with suspect accused of assisting Iranian intelligence