Pictured: British man accused of helping Iranian intelligence plot attack on RAF Fairford base

Two British nationals accused of an alleged Iran-backed plot targeting RAF Fairford believed they were driving vans for a 'business venture' until they were told there was a bomb inside, a court has heard.

A group of men were allegedly instructed to drive vans loaded with petrol to the base by a handler known as 'Ali', before one of them phoned police after being informed a bomb was onboard. 

Nouman Essghir and wheelchair-bound Mohmed Abdulkarim, both 24 and from Westminster in London, are charged over the suspected terror incident outside the Gloucestershire base on September 27.

Abdulkarim is charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act 2023.

Essghir is accused of carrying out reconnaissance at the base on August 22, weeks before he was arrested at the scene alongside four other men. He is charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.

The pair appeared briefly at Westminster Magistrates' Court this afternoon where they spoke to confirm their identities.

Abdulkarim appeared wearing a dark cap and a white and grey checked shirt, and sat in his chair outside the dock.

Essghir stood in the dock wearing grey jogging bottoms and a jumper. 

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 the presence of three suspicious vehicles in the area 

Abdulkarim, 24, (left) and Nouman Essghir (right), 24, appearing in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court, London, today

Police descended on the Gloucestershire airbase in the early hours after being alerted to the presence of three suspicious vehicles in the area.

The court heard how the alarm was raised by one of five men inside a van – not one of the defendants – who had allegedly been tasked with driving the vehicle to the address for a business opportunity.

The group were allegedly told to drive the vans loaded with petrol to the RAF base.

But the man phoned police after the 'organiser' told them a bomb had been planted inside the van, the court heard.

After loading the vans and travelling to RAF Fairford, the men were allegedly told to park the vans and walk away by the organiser over the phone.

Prosecuting, 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 explosives were found in the vans, the court heard.

Police did find a metal oil drum in each, two of which had petrol in, along with hard plastic water butts and internet-enabled dashcams.

Dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes and a major counterterrorism probe 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.

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.