British counterterrorism police re-arrested two men on 20 October on suspicion of helping Iran’s intelligence services, as part of an investigation into an incident near RAF Fairford air base. The case concerns a facility used by the US Air Force, which withdrew its bombers from the site after the incident.
The detainees are a 24-year-old British citizen and a 25-year-old man with British and Iranian citizenship. Both had previously been arrested and released on bail while the investigation continued. The new arrests were made under the National Security Act 2023.
The suspicion underlying this latest action is possible assistance to a foreign intelligence service. It does not amount to a declaration of guilt: no charges have been filed in the case so far. Five other men arrested during the investigation remain on bail.
The investigation dates back to 27 September, when several people were arrested near RAF Fairford, in western England, after arriving in the area in three vans. The police operation found no bombs or explosive devices. The base had been used by US bombers that took part in attacks on Iran earlier this year.
Laurence Taylor, the national head of counterterrorism policing, said investigators consider Iranian state involvement highly likely. However, he explained that they are still trying to establish the extent of that involvement and what it was intended to achieve. Evidence gathering is ongoing, and several lines of inquiry remain open.
Iran’s embassy in London had previously rejected allegations linking its government to the incident. For now, the new arrests leave the case in the investigative phase: the police theory of Iranian involvement does not constitute proven responsibility.
Image: Entrance to RAF Fairford in a file photo from 2 April 2012. Vieve Forward / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
