Two British men have been charged under the United Kingdom’s National Security Act over an incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, with counter-terrorism police saying they believe the foreign intelligence service involved to be Iran. The RAF Fairford charges, announced on Tuesday 27 October 2026, are the first charges in an investigation that began after five men were arrested near the airbase on 27 September.
Both men, aged 24 and from Westminster in London, were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. Five other men arrested in connection with the investigation remain on police bail.
FAKTA
- Who was charged: Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, 24, both British nationals from Westminster, London.
- The charges: Abdulkarim is charged under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, assisting a foreign intelligence service; Essghir is charged under Section 4, entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
- The incident: Suspicious vehicles were reported near RAF Fairford in the early hours of Sunday 27 September 2026, and five men were arrested at the scene.
- Police position: Counter Terrorism Policing says it believes the country involved to be Iran; the investigation remains live.
- Others in the case: Seven men have been arrested in total; a 25-year-old dual UK/Iranian national was released without charge but remains on police bail.
RAF Fairford charges: what the two men are accused of
According to Counter Terrorism Policing, Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim has been charged under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which makes it an offence to assist a foreign intelligence service. Police said: “In this case, we believe that country to be Iran.”
Nouman Essghir was charged under Section 4 of the Act for suspected activity on Saturday 22 August. He was first arrested at the scene near RAF Fairford on 27 September and was re-arrested on 20 October. Abdulkarim was charged after detectives interviewed a further man under caution following those re-arrests.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, said police had seen a range of incidents in recent months that they believe were directed by the Iranian state, and that police and MI5 were working together to respond to that threat. He urged the public to report anything they were worried about.
How the RAF Fairford investigation unfolded
The investigation began in the early hours of Sunday 27 September, when Gloucestershire Police received a report of suspicious vehicles near RAF Fairford. Armed officers responded and arrested five men. Police later said extensive examination of the vehicles found no improvised explosive devices, although a quantity of petrol was recovered.
RAF Fairford, in south-west England, had been used by US B-1 bombers that carried out strikes on Iran. Shortly after the five men were arrested, the US bombers were withdrawn from the base on security grounds. US officials said at the time that the move was made out of an abundance of caution.
Further arrests followed in October, including the re-arrest of two men on 20 October on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. A warrant of further detention obtained on 21 October allowed the two men to be held without charge until Tuesday 27 October, the day the charges were announced.
Iran denies involvement as cases go to court
Iran has firmly rejected the accusations linking it to the Fairford incident. The charges announced on Tuesday are allegations, and the cases will now be heard in court; the men have not been tried.
Police said the investigation remains live and that five other men arrested in connection with it remain on police bail. Counter Terrorism Policing has appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
More on developments across the region can be found in our Europe coverage.
