British counterterrorism police have re-arrested two men suspected of assisting Iranian intelligence in connection with an alleged plot targeting RAF Fairford, a military airbase used by US forces to conduct strikes against Iran.
The suspects, a 24-year-old British citizen and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national, were detained on Tuesday under the UK’s National Security Act, police said.
Both men, who live in London’s Westminster borough, had previously been arrested during an investigation into suspicious activity near the airbase in Gloucestershire in September before being released on bail.
Counter Terrorism Policing confirmed that Iran was the foreign state under investigation, with senior investigators saying they strongly suspected Tehran’s involvement.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Britain’s counterterrorism policing, described the inquiry as complex and ongoing.
He said investigators considered Iranian state involvement highly likely but were still examining the extent of any foreign direction and the objectives behind the suspected operation.
Security alert at US military base
The investigation began on September 27 after three suspicious vans were spotted near RAF Fairford, prompting a major security operation involving armed police and military bomb-disposal specialists.
Authorities discovered petrol inside the vehicles but reported finding no explosives. Nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution.
Seven men were subsequently arrested in connection with the incident. Five remain on police bail, while the two latest suspects have been detained again under legislation targeting assistance to foreign intelligence services.
No formal charges have been filed.
The security scare prompted the United States to withdraw bombers from RAF Fairford, which has served as a staging point for American military operations against Iran.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously said the suspected operation had almost certainly been directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Tehran has denied involvement in the incident.
Diplomatic tensions intensify
The investigation has added to tensions between London and Tehran amid the wider conflict involving Iran and Western military forces.
On October 13, Iranian authorities summoned Britain’s ambassador over allegations connecting Tehran to the suspected Fairford plot.
British officials have also announced sanctions against two Iranian nationals over alleged activities threatening security in Britain and other countries.
The latest arrests underscore growing British concerns about suspected Iranian intelligence operations, although investigators have not publicly established the precise nature of the alleged plot or the extent of Tehran’s involvement.
Britain’s security services have warned of an increasing threat from foreign-backed operations targeting military installations and other sensitive facilities.
