Police officers guard an area as roadblocks remain in place near RAF Fairford airbase.
Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both 24 and residents of London, were charged under the National Security Act, the Crown Prosecution Service said on Tuesday. Essghir was arrested outside RAF Fairford on September 27, prompting a major security operation involving armed police and army bomb-disposal experts. McCallum said more than 50 people had been arrested over Iran-linked plots in the past year.
Essghir was initially released on bail before being arrested again last week. Six other men have been arrested and released on bail as the investigation continues.
Police later said they had discovered gasoline, an accelerant, in vans at the scene but had found no explosives. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. They are expected to appear in court later in the day. Scores of residents were evacuated from nearby homes as authorities searched for explosives. Abdulkarim was also arrested in the past week. The incident prompted US authorities to withdraw their bombers from RAF Fairford amid concerns over a potential Iranian-linked threat. British authorities have linked Tehran to the suspected plot.
Iran has denied involvement, though it has previously maintained that military bases used to attack its territory could be considered legitimate targets.