British counter-terrorism police have charged two 24-year-old men with national security offences following a suspicious incident at a British airbase used by the United States military, with investigators linking one of the charges to suspected Iranian intelligence activity.
Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said one of the men was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service believed to be Iran, while the other faces a charge relating to entering a prohibited place for a purpose considered prejudicial to the interests of the United Kingdom.
The charges mark the first time suspects have been formally charged over the incident at Royal Air Force Fairford in southwest England, after seven people were initially arrested in the days following the reported activity.
Police were called to the base in the early hours of September 27 after a local farmer reported a group of men and several white vans engaged in what was described as suspicious activity.
Days after the incident, the United States abruptly withdrew all its B-1 bombers from the base, although the information provided did not establish whether the withdrawal was directly connected to the investigation.
One of the accused, Nouman Essghir, 24, was charged with entering or approaching a prohibited place for a purpose deemed prejudicial to the interests of the United Kingdom.
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Essghir was initially arrested at the scene in Gloucestershire and later released on bail before being re-arrested about a week ago.
Taylor said the charge against Essghir related to suspected activity on August 22, more than a month before the September 27 incident. Police did not provide further details about the alleged activity.
The second defendant, Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, 24, was arrested after being interviewed under caution during the past week. He has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service.
Police said investigators believed the foreign country involved in the allegation was Iran.
Both men live in Westminster, a district in London.
Six other men remain on bail in connection with the investigation. They are all London residents aged between 23 and 25, and one is a dual British-Iranian national.
Authorities have not disclosed further details about the alleged intelligence activity or the potential roles of the remaining suspects. The charges are allegations, and the accused men have not been established as guilty by a court.