LONDON — Two men have been charged under the UK’s National Security Act over an incident at RAF Fairford, the Gloucestershire air base used by US bombers, that police say was carried out on behalf of Iran.
Mohmed Abdulkarim, a 24-year-old British-Iranian, is charged with assisting Iran’s intelligence service. Nouman Essghir, a 24-year-old British citizen, is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. Both men, from London, were due in court on Tuesday.
Essghir was arrested outside the base on September 27, released on bail and re-arrested last week. Six other people remain on bail, The Guardian reported.
Police found gasoline in vans but no explosives, and the United States moved its B-1 bombers away from the base after the incident.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the plot was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran has denied involvement.
MI5 Director General Ken McCallum has said more than 50 people were arrested over Iran-linked plots in the UK in the past year.
Sources: The Guardian, CBC News / AP, Al Jazeera
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