Two British men have been charged with national security offences over an alleged Iran-backed plot targeting a US-operated military air base in England, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both 24 and from London, were charged under the National Security Act, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Abdulkarim is accused of assisting Iran’s intelligence service, while Essghir faces a charge of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom.
The case centres on RAF Fairford in western England, which has been used by the US military for strikes against Iran during this year’s war.
The US withdrew its bombers from the base following a security scare last month, when five men were detained near its perimeter.
Prosecutors told Westminster Magistrates’ Court that Abdulkarim acted as an intermediary for a handler identified as Ali, who police believe is based outside Britain and working for Iran.
Prosecutor Louise Gray said Ali instructed a group of men to drive three vans carrying containers of gasoline to the base, leave the vehicles and walk away. In the early hours of September 27, the men received a phone message saying there was a bomb in the vehicles, prompting one of the suspects to contact police.
Armed officers rushed to the area, and five men, including Essghir, were arrested. Residents were evacuated while army bomb-disposal experts searched the vehicles. Police later found oil drums containing gasoline but no explosives.
Essghir was initially released on bail before being arrested again last week. The charge against him relates to an alleged reconnaissance mission to film the base on August 22.
Abdulkarim was arrested in the past week. Prosecutors alleged that he helped Ali by purchasing equipment for the operation and received payments totalling about £70,000 ($93,000).
Essghir was remanded in custody until his next hearing, while Abdulkarim, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, was granted bail. Both are scheduled to appear in court again on November 20.
Six other men have also been arrested and released on bail as the investigation continues.
Iran has denied involvement in the incident, although it has previously said that any military base used to attack its territory would be considered a legitimate target.
Earlier this month, MI5 chief Ken McCallum warned that Iran and Russia were expanding their hostile activities in Britain, adding that the RAF Fairford incident was not an isolated case.
McCallum said Iran was seeking to extend its operations beyond its traditional targets, including opponents of the country’s Islamic authorities. More than 50 people have been arrested over Iran-linked plots in the past year, he said.
Laurence Taylor, head of Britain's Counter Terrorism Policing, said authorities believed several recent incidents had been directed by the Iranian state and were working to identify and respond to the threat.