UK Charges Two Men in Iran-Linked Investigation at RAF Fairford

Reuters reported Tuesday that British prosecutors have announced charges against two men under the National Security Act in connection with an incident at Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford, a base used by American bombers for strikes against Iran.

The British prosecution service said it had charged Mohammed Abdul-Karim, 24, with engaging in conduct likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service, and Noaman al-Saghir, also 24, a British-Iranian citizen, with entering a prohibited location for a purpose prejudicial to Britain’s interests.

Last week, British police reported that they had re-arrested the two men on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence, as part of an investigation into activity at RAF Fairford last month.

The base was used by American bombers to carry out strikes against Iran, but the B-1 bombers were removed from the facility shortly after five British men were arrested outside the military base in southwest England during the early morning hours of September 27.

Two additional men were later arrested, but all seven were released on bail. However, the Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) unit announced last Tuesday that two of them had been re-arrested under the National Security Act.

Laurence Taylor, Assistant Police Commissioner and head of Britain’s national counter-terrorism unit, said in a statement: “This is an active and ongoing investigation, and we are continuing to gather evidence. At this stage our position remains unchanged: we believe it is highly likely that there is Iranian involvement.”