Two men charged over alleged terror plot at RAF Fairford were being controlled by Iranian handler, court told

Two men charged over alleged terror plot at RAF Fairford were being controlled by Iranian handler, court told Abdulkarin and Essghir, both charged under the National Security Act, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join todayAlready a member? Log in Two men charged following an investigation into a suspected terror plot involving RAF Fairford were acting under the instructions of a handler police believe was working for Iran, a court heard. Mohmed Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both aged 24, had allegedly been in contact with the man known only as “Ali”, who prosecutors said was behind the suspected plot on 27 September. The pair appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged under the National Security Act. Abdulkarim, of London, has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service while Essghir, also of London, has been charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. Prosecutors told the court that on 27 September, “Ali” had ordered a group of men to drive vans loaded with petrol to RAF Fairford before being told to park the vans and walk away by the organiser over the phone. Louise Gray, prosecuting, said: “Shortly thereafter the message was received that there was a bomb in the vehicles and one of them called the police.” Police attended, located three white vans and five men, who were arrested. No explosives, or improvised explosives were found in the vans, the court heard. Police did find a metal oil drum in each, two of which had petrol in, along with hard plastic water butts and internet-enabled dashcams. Abdulkarim is alleged to have aided the organiser, Ali, who is believed to be abroad and to be acting in the interests of the Iranian state. Ali is also potentially connected to an incident at the Israeli embassy earlier this year, where propaganda videos were posted online suggesting it had been attacked with a chemical weapon by a drone, the court heard. Prosecutors allege that Abdulkarim aided Ali, buying equipment for the mission and receiving multiple payments from him totalling around £70,000. Before the men, allegedly enlisted by Abdulkarim, travelled to RAF Fairford, £300 worth of petrol was filled into the drums in the back of the vans. Essghir, who was also alleged to have known Ali, was among those arrested near the Fairford base on September 27, before he was re-arrested on October 20. But the charge Essghir faces relates to alleged filming of the perimeter of RAF Fairford on August 22 at the request Ali, the court heard. Police announced last week that two men had been re-arrested while five other men arrested during the original investigation remain on police bail. Assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, said: “Earlier this morning, Nouman Essghir, 24, a British national from the borough of Westminster, London, was charged under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, for suspected activity on Saturday 22 August. He was first arrested at the scene in Gloucestershire on Sunday 27 September, and re-arrested on 20 October. “Essghir will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court this morning. “A second man, a 25-year-old dual UK/Iranian national, re-arrested on the same date, has been released without charge. However, he remains on police bail following his first arrest on Thursday 1 October. Following the re-arrest of these individuals, detectives also interviewed a further man under caution. “As a result, Mohammed Abdulkarim, a 24-year-old British national, from the borough of Westminster, London, has been charged under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which makes it an offence to assist a foreign intelligence service. “In this case, we believe that country to be Iran. Abdulkarim will appear at Westminster Magistrates today.” Police stopped three vans near the airbase in Gloucestershire on 27 September and five men were originally arrested as a major incident was declared. No explosive materials were found in the vans, but a quantity of petrol was seized, police said. After hours of questioning, the five men were released under strict bail conditions. Since then, two more men were arrested and bailed similarly. RAF Fairford has previously been used by the US, but Donald Trump announced earlier this month that they would be moving their bomber warplanes out of the air base due to undisclosed “threats”. Asked whether there was a specific decision that led to the withdrawal, Mr Trump said: “They didn’t fly out by accident. There were some threats.” “Rather than tempting the enemy, we'll capture the enemy and beat the enemy. But why should we leave him there? So we moved him around a little bit. Not very far,” he added. Counter Terrorism Policing previously said it was “highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement” in the incident. 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. “We will continue to work closely with our partners as this complex investigation continues.”