British prosecutors charged two men on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, with national security offenses involving a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford, a military air base in western England operated by the United States. Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, is charged with assisting Iran’s intelligence service, while Nouman Essghir, 24, is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom. Both men are British nationals from London and are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
The charges follow an incident on Sept. 27, 2026, when armed police and bomb-disposal units responded to the area around the air base. During the operation, authorities evacuated scores of residents from their homes to search for explosives. While no explosives were found, police reported discovering gasoline, described as an accelerant, in vans at the scene. Essghir was arrested that day, released on bail, and re-arrested in the past week, while Abdulkarim was arrested within the last seven days.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that the apparent plot was "almost certainly" directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. RAF Fairford has been used by American bombers to conduct strikes against Iran during this year's war. Iran has denied involvement in the incident but has previously stated that any base used to launch attacks against its territory is considered a legitimate target. Six other men remain on bail as the investigation continues.
The legal proceedings affect the two named defendants and the six other individuals currently on bail pending further investigation. Residents in the area surrounding RAF Fairford experienced disruption on Sept. 27, when scores of households were forced to evacuate during the search for explosives. The incident also led the U.S. to pull its bombers from the base following the security breach.
Ken McCallum, director general of MI5, the U.K.'s domestic security service, recently reported that more than 50 people have been arrested in connection with Iran-linked plots over the past year. The legal charges in this case are brought under the National Security Act. The head of U.K. National Counter Terrorism Policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, stated that the agency has seen a range of incidents in recent months believed to have been directed by the Iranian state.
The case transitioned from an active investigation to a formal court proceeding with the defendants' initial appearance on Oct. 27. The U.S. military has not reported if or when it will return its bomber fleet to RAF Fairford. The six other men arrested in connection with the case remain on bail. Further court dates have not been publicly announced.