Two men have been rearrested on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service as part of an investigation into a suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford.
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) have now said it is “highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement” in the incident on September 27.
A 24-year-old UK national, and a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national, both from Westminster, London, were re-arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023.
Police said this relates to Iran.
On 27 September, the 24-year-old was initially arrested near the air base. The 25-year-old was first arrested on 1 October in Westminster.
Another five men arrested during the investigation into the incident on 27 September remain on police bail.
What have the police said?
Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, said it was “highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement” in the incident.
“Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it,” he added.
He said specialist teams have been “working tirelessly to interrogate the many lines of inquiry involved in this hugely complex investigation”.
“Due to their sensitive nature, national security investigations can take time to progress, and I’m grateful to everyone who has given my teams the time and space needed to pursue this work thoroughly and effectively.
“From the outset our priority has been to uphold the integrity of this investigation and hold those who wish to do our country harm accountable.
“We know the public have unanswered questions. I want to be as transparent as possible and when we are in the position to share more, we will.”
What happened?
In the early hours of September 27, a local farmer spotted men wearing balaclavas and three vans blocking a road in the vicinity of the airbase.
She called the Ministry of Defence Police but they did not answer the phone, so at 1.36am dialled 999 and armed police arrived 10 minutes later.
Later a major incident was declared. Dozens of homes were evacuated.
Around 30 emergency service vehicles, including the Army’s bomb squad, rushed to the area outside the base.
Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot inspecting three white vans, two of which had open rear doors.
A 400m cordon was put in place around the vans while the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit conducted examinations, said CTP.
Police initially arrested seven men on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism in relation to the incident – and all were later released on bail without being charged.
The police operation was not intelligence-led, suggesting they did not know in advance that any plot was taking place.
US air force base
The US Air Force has used RAF Fairford to carry out bombing missions against Iran in recent months in a bid to protect ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
It is thought the base’s use by the US military could lead to it being targeted by hostile states.
There is evidence Iran has used proxies on British soil, although nothing on the scale seen at Fairford.
British intelligence concluded Iran and its proxies had a role in the Hatzola ambulance attack and other attacks against Jewish communities this year.
Other hostile states including Russia, have been known to use criminal proxies to carry out crimes on its behalf on UK soil.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it was “highly likely” Tehran was behind the RAF Fairford incident.
A day after the incident took place last month, , assistant commissioner Taylor, said police are considering “every possible angle” in their investigation and “keeping an open mind”.
Speaking at New Scotland Yard, he said this included whether it was “actively committed by proxies or individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state”.
A senior Western intelligence source previously told The i Paper the assumption is that those involved are likely to be proxies for a hostile state and Iran is understood to be the leading suspect.
Inquiries have not ruled out Russia or even domestic activity.
A defence expert said the “Russians would be mad to attack a US air force base”, which is “not very subtle”.
The source therefore believed Iran to be the more likely culprit. However Iran said it “categorically rejects” any link to the incident.
US removes bombers from base
On 4 October, the US withdrew all of its bombers from RAF Fairford and they returned to their home stations in America.
A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed the move in a statement, saying: “While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real time, we can acknowledge now that all US bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have redeployed to their home stations in the United States.”
A host of B-1 Lancers were observed departing the base on Sunday, although it is not clear when the other planes returned to the US.
Some of the bombers left so hurriedly that aerial refuelling aircraft were still being scrambled to support their flights across the Atlantic, The New York Times reports.
The BBC reported that the decision was military and operational, not political, adding that the British Armed Forces were informed.
British authorities have made no suggestion further attacks against RAF Fairford are probable in the immediate future, but the release on bail of the suspects has irked Donald Trump.
Trump told US media after they were released: “We know everything about them, we would not have released them.”