UK-Iranian dual national arrested over RAF Fairford incident, police say
Arrest in London as RAF Fairford security investigation widens
Constantvpn.com – A 27-year-old UK-Iranian dual national has been arrested in London as counter-terrorism officers expand their investigation into the security incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The man was detained in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts connected to events around the airbase.
Police have also interviewed a second man, a 26-year-old British national, under caution. Officers searched two properties in the Westminster area as part of the continuing operation.
The developments follow the arrest of five men close to RAF Fairford during the early hours of Sunday. Those men, all British nationals from London and aged between 23 and 25, remain on police bail while enquiries continue. Four live in Westminster and one lives in Camden; searches have been carried out at their homes.
Multiple lines of enquiry
Counter-terrorism policing is examining whether any outside actor may have played a role. Vicki Evans, the force’s senior national coordinator, said investigators were considering every plausible explanation, including the possibility of foreign state involvement.
The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry.
I'd like to thank the public for their continued support and patience whilst we work through this investigation.
The scale of the response around the base became visible after authorities declared a major incident on Sunday. RAF Fairford is operated by the US Air Force and has long served as a forward operating location for American aircraft. Its strategic importance has made the incident a matter of national security concern, rather than simply a local policing case.
Vehicles and petrol found near the base
The initial police response was prompted after three vehicles were seen travelling in the direction of the Gloucestershire base. A local farmer later contacted police after spotting what was described as a large group of masked people near the vehicles.
One of the men subsequently arrested had himself called 999 roughly an hour before the farmer raised the alarm. The circumstances surrounding that call form part of the wider effort to establish the sequence of events and the intentions of those involved.
Searches of vans in the area recovered petrol, but officers said no explosive devices were found. The five original suspects were first held in connection with suspected explosives offences. Their arrests were later linked to suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.
They were released on bail on Monday. Police characterised that decision as an investigative step informed by experience and strategy, rather than an indication that the matter had been closed. Bail allows officers to continue examining evidence, carrying out searches and pursuing other leads while imposing conditions on those under investigation.
Iran allegations and denial
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday that there were strong indications Iran had been involved in the RAF Fairford incident. He offered no further information to support the assessment. Tehran has firmly rejected any suggestion that it played a part.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also raised the prospect of overseas involvement, saying on Monday that the incident clearly bore the involvement of a foreign actor. The police investigation has not publicly set out evidence linking any foreign government to the events.
Any confirmed connection to an overseas state would substantially raise the significance of the case. For now, the counter-terrorism investigation remains focused on establishing what happened near the base, why the vehicles were there, and whether the people involved were acting independently or with assistance from elsewhere.
Why RAF Fairford matters
RAF Fairford has been used by the US Air Force for decades and has featured in recent military activity involving the Middle East. In recent months, US bombers have departed from the base for operations in the region after the UK approved an American request to use Fairford for defensive strikes on Iran.
That background has sharpened attention on the incident. Security around military sites is designed to protect personnel, aircraft and operations, but it also requires investigators to distinguish between suspicious activity, criminal conduct and any conduct that may meet the threshold for terrorism offences.
The arrest of the UK-Iranian man, alongside the questioning of another Westminster resident and the continuing bail of the five men held on Sunday, shows that the inquiry is still developing. Police have urged patience while specialist teams assess evidence and test competing explanations.
No further details have been released about the suspected preparations or the precise relationship, if any, between the latest arrest and the five men already on bail. The investigation continues across Gloucestershire and London as officers work to clarify the full circumstances of the RAF Fairford incident.
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