Two British men have been charged with national security offenses in a suspected Iranian-backed plot against a U.K. air base that hosts U.S. bombers, British officials said Tuesday.
One of the men was charged with assisting Iran’s intelligence service, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
In early October, Pentagon commanders abruptly evacuated a fleet of about a dozen long-range B-1 bombers from Royal Air Force Fairford, roughly 75 miles northwest of London, after intelligence warned of a possible attack against the facility. The incident triggered alarm among counterterrorism officials and forced the evacuation of at least 85 homes near the base.
On Tuesday, the Crown Prosecution Service and the U.K.’s Counter Terrorism Policing said two 24-year-old British nationals had been charged under the National Security Act.
Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. “In this case, we believe that country to be Iran,” Laurence Taylor, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said at a news briefing Tuesday.
Nouman Essghir was charged with inspecting, approaching or entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of Britain. His charges stem from “suspected activity” on Aug. 22.
Both men appeared at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. The court did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the appearance or any lawyers representing the suspects.
In late September, police arrested five men in three white vans outside RAF Fairford. Law enforcement found gasoline, but not drones or other weapons. Two other suspects were later detained.
According to Reuters, prosecutors at the court appearance said Abdulkarim arranged for the five men to take vans to the air base on behalf of a man called “Ali.”
“One of them was told there was a bomb in the van … one of them called 999” and police arrived, said prosecutor Louise Gray, the outlet reported.
Gray said Essghir messaged “Ali” asking what “is going on” but did not get a response, Reuters reported.
Police conducted a month-long investigation that included reviewing “extensive CCTV footage” and the contents of dozens of seized digital devices, Taylor said Tuesday.
“While some of the circumstances remain unclear, we are confident that this activity was conducted on behalf of a foreign intelligence service,” he said.
British officials, including Prime Minister Andy Burnham, in recent weeks have said there are “strong indications” that Iran played a role in the suspected terrorism plot. Tehran has denied involvement.
On Tuesday, Taylor warned of the “increasing use of proxies by those who wish to state to destabilize our nation.”
“This is not a theoretical threat,” he said. “This is something we’re responding to every day at Counter Terrorism Policing, particularly in the case of Iran.”
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