Two charged in RAF Fairford plot

More than 50 people have been arrested in the past year for plots linked to Iranian intelligence, a figure MI5 director general Ken McCallum cited to describe the scale of the domestic security threat.

The new figures follow the charging of two 24-year-old London men on Tuesday. Mohmed Abdulkarim, a British-Iranian dual national, and British citizen Nouman Essghir, were indicted under the National Security Act by the Crown Prosecution Service. Both were scheduled to appear in court later that day.

Abdulkarim faces charges for assisting Iran's intelligence service. Essghir is accused of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom. British authorities state that the pair were operating on behalf of Tehran. This accusation led the United States to withdraw its B-1 bombers from the base shortly after the incident began.

The incident occurred at RAF Fairford in western England, a site used by American aircraft to strike Iran during this year's conflict. Essghir was first detained on September 27 outside the perimeter. Armed police and army bomb-disposal teams searched the rural area, evacuating scores of residents. Investigators found gasoline in vans at the scene but located no explosives. Essghir was released on bail before being re-arrested last week. Abdulkarim was arrested in the same period. Six other men remain under investigation after being released on bail.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that the plot was "almost certainly" directed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Iran denies involvement but maintains that any base used to attack its territory is a legitimate target. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, noted that the agency is working to intervene and identify the threat. "We have seen a range of incidents in recent months that we believe have been directed by the Iranian state," Taylor said. U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also publicly expressed suspicion of Iranian involvement.

McCallum added that Tehran is seeking to intensify attacks in Britain beyond the traditional targets of Iranians opposed to the country's Islamic authorities. The U.S. removed several B-1 bombers from Fairford several days after the initial arrest to ensure the safety of its personnel.