UK Says Iran Likely Coordinated Suspected Plot Against RAF Fairford Base

Update: Court hears a handler directed petrol vans to Fairford

Updated 08:32 UTC, Oct. 28, 2026. The two men charged on Tuesday appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court later that day, and prosecutors set out the case against them in public for the first time. Prosecutor Louise Gray told the court that a handler known only as Ali, who police believe was working on behalf of Iran and who is now thought to be abroad, directed a group of men to drive vans loaded with petrol to RAF Fairford in the early hours of Sept. 27. The men were told by phone to park the vans and walk away, the court heard. Ali then told them a bomb had been planted in one of the vans, and one of the group called 999 and asked police for help.

Police found no explosives in the three vans. Officers did find metal oil drums containing petrol, hard plastic water butts and internet-enabled dashcams in the vehicles, prosecutors said. Mohmed Abdulkarim is accused of acting as an intermediary for Ali, of acquiring equipment for the mission and of receiving payments of around 70,000 pounds from Ali. Nouman Essghir is accused of filming the perimeter of the base on Aug. 22, in what prosecutors called a reconnaissance mission carried out at Ali's request.

Abdulkarim, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, was granted bail under strict conditions that include surrendering his passport. Essghir was remanded in custody. Both men are due to appear next at the Old Bailey on Nov. 20. Both spoke at the hearing only to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses. The charges are allegations that have not been tested in court.

Update: Two men charged under the National Security Act

Updated 09:37 UTC, Oct. 27, 2026. British prosecutors have charged two men under the National Security Act 2023 following the Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into the incident at RAF Fairford, the Crown Prosecution Service said on Tuesday. Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, of Westminster, London, was charged with one offence of assisting a foreign intelligence service, for conduct between Aug. 31 and Sept. 28, 2026 that was likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK related activities, contrary to section 3(2) of the National Security Act 2023, the CPS said. Nouman Essghir, 24, also of Westminster, was charged with one offence of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom, over conduct on Aug. 22, 2026, contrary to section 4(1) of the Act, the CPS said.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said police believe the country Abdulkarim was assisting was Iran, Reuters reported. Frank Ferguson, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: "The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute two individuals with National Security Act offences following a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into a high-profile incident involving RAF Fairford." Both men were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The CPS said proceedings against the two men are active and that they have the right to a fair trial. The Times reported that five other men arrested during the investigation remain on police bail. The charges are allegations that no court has yet tested, and this update replaces the position stated in the original reporting below from Oct. 13, when no suspect had been charged.

Updated 13:40 UTC, Oct 13, 2026. Developing story.

LONDON: Britain has blamed Iran for a suspected plot against RAF Fairford, the air base in Gloucestershire that American bombers used to strike Iran.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament on Monday, Oct 12, that the British assessment is clear. The plot was highly likely coordinated in Iran, he said, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Burnham said Britain will not tolerate threats on its soil. He promised a crackdown on Iranian use of criminal networks, action against their funding, and more sanctions aimed at Iran and the Guard.

What happened at Fairford

The case goes back to the early hours of Sept 27, 2026. Police stopped three suspicious vans near the base in southwest England and arrested five British men on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences.

Officers found petrol in the vans. They found no viable explosive. The five men were later released without charge on police bail under strict conditions.

Two more men were arrested later. One is a 22 year old British man held on suspicion of a terrorism offence. The other is a 25 year old British Iranian man arrested in London. In total, seven men have been arrested. All have been released on bail and no one has been charged.

U.S. officials have told Reuters the suspected plot involved a plan to attack the base with drones. President Donald Trump said last week that a threat linked to Iran led to the decision to pull American bombers out of Fairford. He said the aircraft did not leave by accident.

Sanctions and a diplomatic row

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband summoned the Iranian ambassador to London. Britain also sanctioned two Iranian men for what it called hostile activity on behalf of the regime. Press Association reporting named them as Ruhollah Bazghandi, described as a senior Guard counterespionage figure, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, described as a facilitator for a criminal network. Both face an asset freeze and a travel ban.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told lawmakers that a known individual based in Iran was thought to have coordinated the plot.

The United States led a joint statement, backed by more than 20 countries, condemning Iran for lethal plotting, arson, sabotage and cyberattacks around the world.

Iran rejected the British claim outright. Its ambassador to Britain, Seyed Ali Mousavi, said Tehran had no involvement in the matter, according to the state news agency IRNA. He said Britain should present any documents or evidence it holds.

Why the base matters

RAF Fairford sits about 100 miles west of London and has long hosted U.S. Air Force aircraft in Europe. Its bombers took part in strikes on Iran, which made the base a sensitive site in the current conflict. Iran has said in the past that bases used to attack its territory are legitimate targets.

Details of the alleged plot are still thin. Police have released no charge, no court date and no public evidence linking the vans to Tehran. The British case rests, for now, on an intelligence assessment stated in Parliament and on sanctions announced the same day.

That leaves two firm facts side by side. Britain says Iran directed a plot on British soil and is acting on that claim. Iran says it did not, and no suspect has been charged. The Orbit Post will update this story as police, courts or either government release new facts.