Two men allegedly involved in a terror plot at RAF Fairford have been arrested on suspicion of assisting the Iranian intelligence services.
Counter-terror police said a 24-year-old British man and a 25-year-old British-Iranian man had been detained under the National Security Act on Tuesday, and that the “country to which the investigation relates is Iran”.
The 24-year-old was one of five British men arrested after three suspicious vans were seen near the military site on September 27.
The British-Iranian man was arrested days later on October 1 on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts and was later bailed.
‘Hugely complex’ investigation
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of counter-terror policing, said the investigation into the suspected terror plot was “hugely complex”.
He said: “So far, seven men have been arrested in connection with our investigation. As a result of the ongoing efforts of our officers, earlier today two of those men were rearrested for offences relating to section 3 of the National Security Act – assisting a foreign intelligence service.
“This is very much a live investigation, and our evidence-gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement.
“Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it.”
RAF Fairford was home to hundreds of US military staff at the time of the incident and has been used by bombers to launch strikes on Iran.
In July, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any British base used to strike Tehran was a “legitimate target” and made veiled threats to the “British monarchy regime”.
Andy Burnham previously said that Iran’s IRGC had “almost certainly” orchestrated the plot.
Earlier this month, the US withdrew its bomber jets from the base after its military became aware of new threats regarding an Iran-backed plot to target the facility.
Suspicious vehicles
In the early hours of September 27, police received a call about three suspicious vehicles that appeared to be travelling towards RAF Fairford.
As officers made their way to intercept them, a farmer returning home from a party about 1.36am called police saying she had seen five men wearing balaclavas acting suspiciously near three white vans.
The men were detained at the scene by armed officers less than half an hour later.
A major emergency response operation ensued, with Army bomb-disposal specialists and a robot sent in to examine the vehicles.
The five British nationals, all in their 20s, were arrested later that day on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences.
All were bailed less than 24 hours later – a decision criticised by Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, the US President and the Secretary of State.
The dual British-Iranian national was arrested in Westminster four days later on suspicion of the preparation of terrorist acts. A 26-year-old British national was also questioned under caution.
The arrests continued, and on October 6 a 22-year-old British man was arrested in Westminster, London, on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.
He was also released from police custody under strict bail conditions.
Police have said that no explosives were found in the suspicious vans, although a quantity of petrol was recovered.
It has since emerged that Israeli intelligence had warned MI5 about an imminent Iranian-backed attack on the air base shortly before Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, announced plans to ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
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