Two British men accused of involvement in an alleged Iran-backed plot targeting RAF Fairford believed they were driving vans as part of a “business venture” until they were told one of the vehicles contained a bomb, a court has heard.
A group of men were allegedly directed by a handler known as “Ali” to drive petrol-filled vans to the Gloucestershire airbase. One of them later contacted police after being told that a bomb had been placed inside a vehicle.
Nouman Essghir and wheelchair user Mohmed Abdulkarim, both 24 and from Westminster, London, face charges linked to the suspected terror incident outside RAF Fairford on September 27.
Abdulkarim is accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act 2023.
Essghir is alleged to have carried out reconnaissance at the airbase on August 22, several weeks before his arrest at the site alongside four other men. He is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
The two men appeared briefly at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this afternoon, where they spoke to confirm their identities.
Abdulkarim wore a dark cap and a white-and-grey checked shirt. He remained seated in his wheelchair outside the dock.
Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, from Westminster, London, is accused of plotting the attack on RAF Fairford
Police descended on the Gloucestershire airbase in the early hours of September 27 after being alerted to three suspicious vehicles in the area
Abdulkarim, 24, (left) and Nouman Essghir (right), 24, appearing in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London, today
Essghir stood in the dock wearing grey jogging bottoms and a jumper.
Officers were sent to the Gloucestershire airbase in the early hours after being alerted to three suspicious vehicles nearby.
The court heard that one of five men travelling in a van—not either of the defendants—raised the alarm. The group had allegedly been asked to drive the vehicle to the location as part of a supposed business opportunity.
They were allegedly instructed to take vans containing petrol to RAF Fairford.
However, one man called police after the alleged organiser told the group that a bomb had been placed inside the van, the court heard.
After loading the vans and driving to RAF Fairford, the men were allegedly instructed by the organiser over the phone to park the vehicles and leave the area.
Prosecutor Louise Gray said: “Shortly thereafter the message was received that there was a bomb in the vehicles and one of them called the police.”
No explosives or improvised explosive devices were found in the vans, the court heard.
Officers did find a metal oil drum in each vehicle. Two contained petrol, while the vans also held hard plastic water butts and internet-enabled dashcams.
Dozens of local residents were evacuated from their homes as a major counterterrorism investigation was launched.
Abdulkarim is alleged to have aided the organiser, Ali, who is believed to be abroad and to be acting in the interests of the Iranian state.
Ali is also potentially connected to an incident at the Israeli embassy earlier this year, where propaganda videos were posted online suggesting it had been attacked with a chemical weapon by a drone, the court heard.
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Dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes and a major counterterrorism probe was launched
Prosecutors allege that Abdulkarim aided Ali, buying equipment for the mission and receiving multiple payments from him totalling around £70,000.
Officers arrested seven people but only Abdulkarim and Essghir have been charged with any offences. The other five remain on police bail.
Essghir was one of the men arrested at the scene, the court heard.
Police enquiries later revealed an individual known as ‘Ali’ commissioned the incident, prosecutor Louise Gray said.
She said Ali had apparently provided funds of around £70,000 to others within the UK to perform prior reconnaissance of RAF Fairford, to buy equipment and pay for drivers.
The court heard both Essghir and Abdulkarim were allegedly well known to Ali, who is believed to have left the UK in April 2026, and is understood to be acting in the interests of the Iranian state.
The court heard Essghir visited the RAF Fairford area six weeks before the alleged plot, and spent several minutes recording videos of the proximity for Ali.
The court heard Abdulkarim allegedly enlisted the help of others with the plot, including asking them to buy vans and cover them in signage for other businesses.
Neither man was asked to enter pleas before the chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, during the 28-minute hearing.
Abdulkarim, who was described as having ‘vulnerabilities’, was released on conditional bail, while Essghir was remanded in custody.
They will next appear in court on November 22.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of national counter terrorism policing in the UK, said: ‘We have seen a range of incidents in recent months that we believe have been directed by the Iranian state, and as the Director General of Mi5 said just the other week, we are working together to intervene, identify and respond to that threat.
Five men were later arrested near the base early on September 27, while two others were also later detained
‘The public can help us with this, and as always, I would urge them to report anything that they’re worried about – those reports can and do make a difference.’
Speaking outside New Scotland Yard this afternoon, Assistant Commissioner Taylor said the investigation has included reviewing extensive CCTV footage and examining ‘dozens’ of digital devices.
He continued: ‘While some of the circumstances remain unclear we are confident that this activity was conducted on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. Now I’ve spoken before about the nature of national security investigations and the increasing use of proxies by those who wish to destabilise our nation.
‘Our investigations involving proxies take time to establish what those individuals knew about the ambition behind the tasking. Sometimes individuals can have no knowledge at all or even partial knowledge of what they are being asked to do on behalf of foreign states. Sometimes they have full knowledge.
‘This is not a theoretical threat. This is something we are responding to every day at CTP particularly in the case of Iran.
‘We have seen a range of incidents in recent months that we believe have been directed by the Iranian state, and as the Director General of MI5 said recently, we have been working together to intervene, identify and respond to that threat.’
RAF Fairford has been used as a base for US bomber jets involved in strikes on Iran since the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East at the start of this year.
America’s military has since removed all of its B-1 bombers from the site.