LONDON — British prosecutors on Tuesday, Oct. 27, charged two London men with national security offenses tied to last month’s incident near RAF Fairford, the English air base the U.S. military used to launch strikes on Iran, CBS News reported.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, is charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and with conduct likely to materially help one carry out activities in the U.K. Nouman Essghir, 24, is charged with approaching or being near a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the country’s safety. Both are British nationals.
The two were arrested last week on suspicion of helping Iran’s intelligence service. A 25-year-old British-Iranian man arrested alongside Abdulkarim was released on bail.
Five other men were detained near the base on Sept. 27, when nearby residents were evacuated and police found gasoline, but no explosives, in three vans parked near an entrance. Those men were bailed and remain under investigation.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the government believes Iran “played a part.” The U.S. Air Force subsequently removed its B-1 bombers from Fairford. Iran’s embassy has previously denied involvement.
Sources: CBS News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Colin Cooke Photo / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
