Two Britons charged over Iran plot to hit RAF Fairford airbase

It started in the early hours of 27 September, outside a quiet airbase in southwest England. Police moved in and arrested five men near RAF Fairford. Nobody outside the investigation knew exactly why, and for weeks, the details stayed locked down.

Now the picture is clearer. British prosecutors have charged two of those men, both from London, under the National Security Act. Police say they were suspected of helping Iran. The case sits alongside a tense few weeks of US warnings to Gulf allies over Iran, and it shows the standoff isn’t only playing out at sea or in the air.

What happened at RAF Fairford?

RAF Fairford is a British airbase that the US Air Force has used for years. Recently, it was the launch point for US B-1 bombers carrying out strikes on Iran.

In the early hours of 27 September, police arrested five men outside the base. At the time, officers said it was on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and explosives offences. Days later, without full explanation, the men were released on bail. That raised questions nobody could answer right away.

Then, soon after the arrests, the US quietly moved all its long-range bombers out of RAF Fairford. Officials gave no detail at the time beyond an unspecified threat, but President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance both hinted something serious was behind the move.

Trump told reporters the planes “didn’t fly out by accident.” He said, “There were some threats, and rather than tempting the enemy, we’ll capture the enemy and beat the enemy. But why should we leave them there? So we moved them around a little bit.” Vance said the move was made “out of an abundance of caution,” though he didn’t give specifics.

Why were the men released, then charged weeks later?

This is the part that confused people the most. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, who leads national counter terrorism policing in the UK, addressed it directly on Tuesday.

He said the decision to release the men on bail “sparked significant questions and speculation about the investigation and why that was the case.” But he said there was a reason behind it. “We know that decisions made during our investigations can sometimes appear illogical to those on the outside, but I want to make it very clear, that there will always be good reason, or rationale behind them,” Taylor said. “Like our adversaries, our tactics vary – and may not always be obvious.”

According to Taylor, releasing the men quietly actually helped the case. He said it “led to swifter progress, better evidence and ultimately us securing the charges.” In other words, the police let the investigation run longer in the background before moving to formal charges.

On Tuesday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed the charges. Abdulkarim is accused of engaging in conduct likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service. Essghir is charged with one offence of entering a prohibited place, linked to a date in August, for a purpose harmful to the UK. Both men live in London and were due to appear at Westminster Magistrate’s Court later the same day.

So who was really behind this?

Police have named Iran as the country they believe Abdulkarim was assisting. Taylor said, “We have seen a range of incidents in recent months that we believe have been directed by the Iranian state,” adding that the UK’s domestic security service, MI5, has said the same.

Earlier this month, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham went further, saying the suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford was “almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard.” Iran has firmly rejected the accusations.

US officials had reportedly tracked planning by Iranian-linked groups aimed at US assets at the base, weeks before any arrests were made. Trump praised the arrests at the time, saying the US had worked closely with Britain. He described the men as planning to do “big damage” to RAF Fairford, adding, “We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.”

What this means if you’re in Kuwait

This case is in London, not the Gulf, but it fits into the same wider picture Kuwait residents have been watching for weeks. Trump has repeatedly threatened new strikes on Iran, and the US has already moved military hardware into position, including warships loaded with missiles aimed at Iran. Gulf states, including Kuwait, have been told by Washington to prepare for possible retaliation, as covered in our report on US warnings to Gulf states over Iran strikes.

None of that means anything is imminent for Kuwait specifically. But it shows the standoff with Iran now touches security cases in Europe, military movements at sea near the Strait of Hormuz, and now a courtroom in London. If you follow regional security news, this UK case is one more thread in the same story. You can follow our wider international news coverage as it develops.

Quick answers