RAF MILDENHALL, England — British authorities on Tuesday charged a man with plotting to attack U.S. servicemembers stationed in the United Kingdom.
The suspect, Junead Ahmed Khan, “was planning a terrorist attack” against U.S. military personnel in the United Kingdom, said Deborah Walsh, deputy head of counterterrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service, in a statement.
Khan, of Luton, a city north of London, was charged with violating the U.K.’s 2006 terrorism act between May 10 and July 14, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
More than 18,000 U.S. servicemembers, civilians and local nationals work for the four largest units based in England, said a spokeswoman for U.S. Air Forces in Europe-UK.
U.S. Air Force officials canceled the Independence Day celebration at U.S.-run RAF Feltwell this year because of security concerns. Officials with the U.S. Air Force and the Crown Prosecution Service declined to comment on any possible connection between Khan’s alleged plot and cancellation of the celebration.
Officials also charged Khan and his uncle, Shazib Ahmed Khan of Luton, with planning to join the Islamic State group in Syria. Both face a possible life sentence.
The Khans and a third man were arrested July 14. The third man was released without charge, London Metropolitan Police said.
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