Two Men Rearrested in UK Over Suspected Iranian Espionage Plot at US Air Base
UK counter-terrorism police rearrest two men under the National Security Act over a suspected Iranian espionage and terror plot at RAF Fairford.
POLICY WIRE — London, United Kingdom — Counter-terrorism authorities in Britain announced on Tuesday that they have taken two individuals back into custody on suspicion of aiding Iranian intelligence following a security breach at a U.S.-operated military facility in England last month.
Law enforcement officials stated that the suspects include a 24-year-old British citizen alongside a 25-year-old holding dual citizenship in the U.K. and Iran. Both arrests were executed under the provisions of the National Security Act.
The pair had initially been detained earlier in the investigation before being released on bail while detectives gathered further evidence. No formal charges have been filed against either individual at this stage of the inquiry.
Investigators are actively probing an alleged terror scheme targeting RAF Fairford in western England on September 27. The installation has served as a launchpad for American bombing campaigns directed against Iran throughout the ongoing conflict this year.
The incident prompted large-scale evacuations of local residents as heavily armed officers and military bomb disposal units descended upon the countryside. Authorities subsequently recovered quantities of gasoline from three commercial vans discovered at the location, though bomb squads found no actual explosive devices.
U.K. officials have openly connected Tehran to the security breach, an event that ultimately compelled the United States military to withdraw its strategic bombers from the base. Meanwhile, five other men previously arrested in connection with the case remain out on bail.
Laurence Taylor, who leads Counter Terrorism Policing in the U.K., emphasized that investigators are pursuing multiple angles in what he described as an immensely intricate inquiry. He noted that the operation remains very much active as evidence collection continues, reiterating the official assessment that investigators view Iranian state participation as highly probable.
Detectives are actively working to determine the precise extent of that participation and the underlying motives driving the plot, Taylor added. Conversely, representatives for the Iranian government have repeatedly maintained that any military installations utilized for attacks against their nation constitute valid targets.
The Iranian Embassy in London previously issued a statement firmly denying and denouncing what it termed baseless and malicious allegations attempting to tie Tehran to the occurrence. Despite the diplomatic pushback, the U.S. Air Force proceeded to relocate its entire bomber fleet away from the British airfield earlier this month.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
