The British Crown Prosecution Office announced, on Tuesday, that national security charges have been brought against two men in connection with an incident that occurred last month at the US-run Fairford Air Base of the British Royal Air Force in England.
The Royal Prosecution Service reported that charges were brought under the National Security Law against: Muhammad Abdel Karim and Noman Al-Saghir, who are 24 years old and reside in the Westminster district in central London.
The police explained - in a statement - that one of the two men was accused of providing assistance to a foreign intelligence service, while the head of the counter-terrorism police, Lawrence Taylor, said: “We believe that this country is Iran.” The other suspect was charged with entering a prohibited website for the purpose of harming the United Kingdom.
Taylor said, according to what the statement quoted him as saying: “In recent months, we have monitored a series of incidents that we believe were orchestrated by the Iranian state.”
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament on October 12 that the incident “almost certainly took place under the direction of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”
Iran has repeatedly rejected these accusations, denying any involvement in the incident. These are the first charges brought in the case of the incident that occurred at the air base.
British police intervened on September 27 after reporting “three suspicious vehicles” near the Fairford base in southwest England, which the United States used in its war against Iran.
A wide security cordon was imposed around the base, and dozens of surrounding homes were evacuated. The police did not find “any explosive device” inside the vehicles, but they did find “quantities” of gasoline.
Five other men were arrested as part of the investigation before being released on bail. The release of these suspects angered US President Donald Trump. The police announced a week ago that they had rearrested two suspects, and have now charged one of them. Days after the incident, the United States announced the withdrawal of its bombers that were stationed at the base, due to “threats” linked to Iran, according to Trump.
American bombers had used Fairford Air Base to carry out air strikes on Iran, but they were withdrawn for security reasons shortly after 5 British men were arrested outside the military base in southwest England in the early hours of September 27.
The accused, Noman Al-Saghir, was arrested at the scene of the accident in Gloucestershire and then released on bail, before the police rearrested him a week ago. The head of the counter-terrorism police said that the charge against Al-Sagheer relates to “suspicious activity” dating back more than a month before the incident, specifically on Saturday, August 22nd, without providing details.
As for the second accused, Muhammad Abdel Karim, he was arrested after being interrogated last week, after he was officially alerted to his legal rights and the possibility that his statements could be used against him, according to the police. He was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. “In this case, we believe the country in question is Iran,” police said.
Six other men are still released on bail, one of whom holds dual British and Iranian citizenship and was re-arrested last week. "Some of the decisions we make during our investigations may sometimes seem illogical," Taylor said. He added: “But I want to make it absolutely clear that there is always a good reason or justification behind it.”
