Police have detained two men again over alleged help for Iranian intelligence, with the arrests announced on Tuesday, 20 October. The suspects are a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old man with British and Iranian dual nationality, both from central London. Officers detained them on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service under section 3 of the National Security Act 2023. Both men had been held earlier on suspicion of terrorism offences and released on police bail, and the new arrests rest on a different legal basis. Five other men arrested earlier remain on police bail.
Police were alerted in the early hours of 27 September to three suspicious vehicles close to the RAF Fairford airbase, and a serious incident was declared. Dozens of homes were evacuated. Five men were found with petrol in three vans near the base, and they were first arrested under explosives legislation before being held on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism. Officers found no explosive device inside the vehicles, but they did find a large quantity of petrol. The 24-year-old was first detained near the base on 27 September, while the 25-year-old was arrested later, on 1 October, in Westminster. Seven men were initially held in the counter-terrorism inquiry and later released on bail.
The base, roughly 160 kilometres from London, has been used by American bombers for strikes against Iran. A few days after the incident, the United States announced it was pulling out the bombers stationed there, citing what President Donald Trump called threats linked to Iran.
Laurence Taylor, Assistant Commissioner and head of national counter-terrorism policing, said investigators consider Iranian state involvement highly likely. He stressed that the inquiry remains live and that evidence gathering is still going on.
“Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it.”
Taylor added that investigators are still assessing how deep that involvement went and what objective lay behind it. He said national security inquiries can take time because of their sensitive nature. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that activities at RAF Fairford were probably coordinated from Iran, a claim Tehran has rejected on several occasions.
Iran has denied any involvement in the incident and says it regards any base used to attack its territory as a legitimate target. Iran's ambassador in Britain rejected Burnham's claim about coordination from Iran. After the accusations, the two countries summoned each other's ambassadors and lodged formal protests. UK authorities have warned that Tehran could widen its targets in Britain if conflicts in the Middle East continue, pointing to Iran-backed groups behind a series of attacks on US allies, many aimed at Jewish communities. Police said they would release more information once they are in a position to do so.
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Counter-terrorism police re-arrested a 24-year-old British man and a 25-year-old British-Iranian man on suspicion of helping Iranian intelligence. Both had been held earlier in the investigation into the 27 September incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
AI text based on reports by RTP, The Guardian, ΣΚΑΪ and other publishers. Published .