Fairford Air Base in the United Kingdom: two men charged with endangering national security

Two Britons were charged on Tuesday with endangering national security as part of the investigation into an incident near the English air base at Fairford at the end of September, announced British counter-terrorism police, who pointed the finger of blame at Iran.

Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, is being prosecuted for assisting a foreign intelligence service, police said in a statement. “We think that country is Iran,” said Laurence Taylor, the head of the counterterrorism police.

Nouman Essghir, also 24, is charged with entering a prohibited site with intent to harm the United Kingdom, which allegedly occurred on August 22. “We have observed in recent months a whole series of incidents which, in our opinion, were orchestrated by the Iranian state,” declared Laurence Taylor, quoted in the press release.

British police intervened on September 27 after the report of “three suspicious vehicles” near the Fairford air base (southwest of England), used by the United States in its war against Iran. A vast perimeter had been cordoned off and dozens of homes around the airfield evacuated.

Inside the vehicles, the police found “no explosive device”, but gasoline “in quantity”. Five other men were arrested in this investigation but have been released on bail. The release of these suspects aroused the disapproval of US President Donald Trump.