Key facts
- Two men charged with offenses under the National Security Act.
- Police consider Iranian state involvement highly likely.
- Mohmed Abdulkarim charged with materially assisting a foreign intelligence service.
- Nouman Essghir charged with entering a prohibited place.
British counterterrorism police rearrested two men in London on Tuesday as part of an investigation into a suspected plot at RAF Fairford, a British air base regularly used by the U.S. Air Force. The two men are suspected of assisting a foreign intelligence service, and police believe there is a high likelihood of Iranian state involvement. The arrests stem from an incident on September 27 near the base where suspicious vans were reported, leading to evacuations and a search that found gasoline but no explosives. Seven men were initially arrested, all of whom have since been released on bail. The U.S. withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford on October 4 due to security concerns and an Iran-linked threat.