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Two British Men Charged Over RAF Fairford Incident
· Confirmed
In Short: Two British men were charged under the National Security Act 2023 over an incident at RAF Fairford airbase.
On October 27, 2026, Counter Terrorism Policing confirmed that Nouman Essghir, 24, a British national from London, was charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK, for suspected activity on August 22, 2026, according to AeroTime and Al Jazeera (Qatar).
Mohammed Abdul Karim, a 24-year-old British national from London, was also charged under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which makes it an offense to assist a foreign intelligence service, reported AeroTime.
Both men were first arrested at the incident scene in Gloucestershire on September 27, 2026, and re-arrested on October 20, 2026, as detailed by AeroTime and the BBC (United Kingdom).
According to Al Jazeera (Qatar), both Essghir and Karim live in Westminster, a district in London.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that both men were charged under the National Security Act 2023 after a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation, as reported by Türkiye Today (Türkiye) and CBS News.
Essghir was charged under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, as stated by the BBC (United Kingdom).
The five other men arrested in connection with the RAF Fairford investigation remain on police bail, according to AeroTime, The Guardian, and Ynetnews.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, Head of counter-terror police, stated that Essghir, a British national from Westminster, had been charged under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, as reported by the BBC (United Kingdom).
Taylor also noted that the public has unanswered questions, as mentioned by Thenightly (Australia).
Police suspect Iranian involvement in the incident, as reported by CBS News, NewsCord, and Thenightly (Australia).
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the activity at RAF Fairford was likely coordinated in Iran, which Iran’s ambassador to the UK has denied, as reported by Al Jazeera (Qatar), NewsCord, and KSL News.
Essghir and Karim will both appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on October 27, 2026, as reported by AeroTime.
Background
Two British men were charged under the National Security Act 2023 over an incident at RAF Fairford airbase.
What's confirmed
- On October 27, 2026, Counter Terrorism Policing confirmed that Nouman Essghir, 24, a British national from London, was charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK, for suspected activity on August 22, 2026.
- Essghir was first arrested at the incident scene in Gloucestershire on September 27, 2026, and re-arrested on October 20, 2026.
- “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,” Assistant Commissioner Taylor added.
- Two men have been charged by British authorities under the UK’s National Security Act over an incident at the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire in September 2026.
- Five other men arrested in connection with the RAF Fairford investigation, remain on police bail.
- British Iranian dual national Mohmed Abdulkarim and British citizen Nouman Essghir, both aged 24, were charged under the National Security Act, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
- British Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week said the activity at RAF Fairford was likely to have been coordinated in Iran, which Iran’s ambassador to the UK has denied.
- LONDON (AP) — Two men were charged Tuesday with national security offenses over last month’s incident at RAF Fairford, a U.S.-run military base in England, prosecutors said.
- Police have said they consider Iranian state involvement "highly likely."
- FILE - A B1 bomber prepares to take off as police officers guard a checkpoint near RAF Fairford air base, in Fairford, England, Tuesday, Sept.
- LONDON: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford air base in Britain was “highly likely” to have been coordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- LONDON (AP) — A dual U.K.-Iranian national arrested on suspicion of plotting a terror attack following a security incident at a U.S.-run military air base in England has been released on bail, authorities said Saturday.
What's still developing
- He was the sixth person to be arrested in what British authorities said was potentially an Iran-backed plot.
- It said Fairford came soon after a recent campaign of attacks across Europe by pro-Iranian Islamist militants targeting Jewish communities, Iranian journalists and US interests.
- In its statement on October 27, 2026, terrorism police said that following the re-arrest of these individuals, detectives also interviewed a further man under caution.