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Five British men arrested over a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford have been released on police bail as counter-terrorism police investigate whether a foreign state, possibly Iran, was involved.
Five British men arrested over a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford have been released on police bail, counter-terrorism police said on Monday. The men, all from London and aged between 23 and 25, were arrested early on Sunday near the Gloucestershire airbase used by the US air force.
Iran link remains key inquiry
An Iranian link remains a key line of inquiry, and police are investigating whether any of the five were paid to gather in the village of Whelford, about two miles from the base. The head of UK counter-terrorism policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, confirmed the releases on Monday afternoon. He said extensive interviews and inquiries had led to the decision, but stressed the investigation was far from finished.
He said: I can confirm that following extensive interviews and inquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry. Taylor said the men were subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. He said: To be very clear, this does not mean the investigation is over.
They absolutely remain under investigation. He said counter-terrorism policing was keeping an open mind and considering every possible angle, including that this may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state. Taylor also asked the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious.
He said threats to the UK often become visible as criminal activity at a small scale, committed by individuals whose primary aim is not terrorism but quick financial gain. He said: It can be harder to spot, and to that end I would ask the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to police. The five suspects are all British citizens from London: one aged 23, three aged 24, and one aged 25.
Three resided in Westminster, one in Camden and the other in Willesden. They were arrested in Whelford on Sunday morning after reports of three vehicles travelling towards the airbase at 12.45am. They were detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and preparation of a terrorist act contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
An initial examination of the vans led police to suspect they carried explosive materials, with assessments made as to whether they were viable improvised explosive devices. A 400-metre cordon was placed around the white vans as bomb disposal robots examined them. Their release on police bail suggests detectives believe it is unlikely they were on the brink of a mass casualty attack by exploding a bomb close to the base, sources said.
Farmer spots hooded men near base
The arrests followed a report from a local farmer who spotted the men while driving home from a party. She said she saw eight to 10 hooded men in the area before 1am on Sunday, believed they were wearing balaclavas, and they ran away when her headlights illuminated them. She said: When they saw me they ran ahead of me. Some went into the field and some towards the neighbouring village.
She then called the police and said she was surprised it had been left to her to disrupt the activities of the men. About 85 households in the Cotswolds village of Whelford were evacuated early on Sunday morning to a leisure centre. A large police and emergency services presence has remained since, and a cordon remained in place at the location on Monday.
Police said they were using significant numbers of resources, including military assets, and were working to minimise disruption while asking for patience. At the Labour party conference, home secretary Shabana Mahmood said the evacuated residents should shortly be able to return home. The deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans, Counter Terrorism Policing's senior national coordinator, said the operation was hugely complex and large-scale.
She said it involved local and national policing, the Ministry of Defence and local agencies working together to progress the investigation and support the community. She acknowledged the disruption for local people but said the activity was in the interest of national security and their own safety.
She said she was very aware of speculation about the motivation behind the incident and the geopolitical questions being raised, but asked that Counter Terrorism Policing be given the space to work carefully and clearly. Armed police officers have been working near RAF Fairford, an air force base about 140 kilometres west of London, which the US military has used to launch strikes on Iran this year.
The base had been at its highest state of alert, called delta, for several days beforehand because of a general threat, with extra security measures. People living near RAF Fairford told British media that security had been ramped up around the base in the days leading up to the arrests, and one resident said a police officer told them to return home and stay inside.
US politicians point finger at Iran
The arrests have sparked concern not just in the local village community, but across the UK and in the United States, where politicians were quick to point the finger at Iran. Florida Congresswoman Kat Cammack asserted, without providing specifics, that Iran was clearly involved in a plan to attack the base. US President Donald Trump claimed the arrested men had been under investigation for a long time and were looking to do big damage at the base.
On Monday, Trump expressed surprise that the suspects had been bailed, saying: I would not have released them. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the farmer on Monday but said authorities only had a partial picture of the situation. He said the suspects hate our democracy. The prime minister, Andy Burnham, called a meeting of the government's crisis committee Cobra over the events and Iran's possible role.
Iran rejects allegations as speculation
On Monday, Iran's embassy in London released a statement in which it categorically rejected and strongly condemned the allegations as unfounded and malicious speculation attempting to link Iran to the arrests. The embassy said: The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base.
It said such fabricated speculation would only fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK and said Iran reserved the right to take appropriate legal measures to safeguard its rights and interests. However, earlier this year, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary force which reports directly to Tehran's supreme leader, publicly noted RAF Fairford's use by US bombers. It warned the UK that any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for its forces.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had also made threats against RAF Fairford in July. Iran is suspected of using proxies in the UK in incidents ranging from alleged arson attacks against Jewish targets to men flying a basic drone near the Israeli embassy. Despite the update from counter-terrorism police on Monday, information surrounding the arrests has remained confusing.
UK police routinely announce the nationality and ethnicity of suspects in high-profile investigations to counter disinformation that can spread online, which has previously led to public disorder. No charges have been laid, and the five men remain under investigation subject to bail conditions. Police said they had examined the scene overnight and carried out a range of activity that led to multiple new lines of inquiry.
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GuardianAus:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
RAF Fairford Counter-Terrorism UK Arrests Iran US Military Base RAF Fairford Arrests UK Counter-Terrorism Investigation Iran Foreign State Involvement Gloucestershire Airbase Police Bail Release Iran Link Investigation Counter-Terrorism Policing Whelford Evacuation UK Bomb Plot Probe
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