RAF Fairford plot ‘coordinated by handler working for Iran’
Two men have appeared in court charged in connection with an alleged plot at RAF Fairford that police say was coordinated by a handler working for Iranian intelligence. Mohmed Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both 24 and from London, faced Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday under the National Security Act 2023.
Allegations detailed in court
Prosecutors said the handler, known as Ali, directed a group of five men to drive vans loaded with petrol to the Gloucestershire airbase. One of the five called police in the early hours of 27 September after Ali warned him that a bomb had been placed in the vans. The caller said he was from London and part of a group tasked to drive the vehicles to the location for what they believed was a new business venture. But when they arrived, Ali told them to park, walk away, and then run because he had planted a bomb.
Abdulkarim is charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. He is accused of buying the vans used in the incident on Ali’s instruction, as well as purchasing mobile phones and collecting cash for him. Essghir faces a charge of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. He was initially arrested at the scene near RAF Fairford on 27 September and re-arrested on 20 October. The court heard he had visited the base on 22 August and filmed around the facility during a video call with Ali, before returning a month later in a convoy of vans.
Investigation and police response
Counter Terror Policing believe the foreign intelligence service involved was Iranian. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of national counter-terrorism policing, said: “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.” He urged the public to report anything worrying, saying those reports “can and do make a difference.”
Abdulkarim was released on bail with conditions including surrendering his passport, while Essghir was remanded in custody. Both are due to appear at the Old Bailey on 20 November. Prosecutor Louise Gray said Ali is believed to be abroad. Five other men arrested during the investigation remain on police bail, and a 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national arrested on 20 October was released without charge but remains on bail after an earlier arrest.
Prosecution statement
Frank Ferguson, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS special crime and counter-terrorism division, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute two individuals with National Security Act offences following a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into a high-profile incident involving RAF Fairford.” He added that the CPS would continue to work closely with partners as the complex investigation continues.
