Two men re-arrested over RAF Fairford plot on suspicion of aiding Iran

Counter-terrorism police have re-arrested two men over the incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, and the UK government now says it is highly likely that Iran coordinated the activity. The two men, a 24-year-old UK national and a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national, both from Westminster, are being held under the National Security Act on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. One was among the five men originally detained near the base; the other was arrested in London days later. No charges have been announced.

The incident began at about 12.45am on Sunday 27 September when police received a call about three suspicious vehicles travelling towards RAF Fairford, a base used by the US Air Force. Armed officers stopped the vehicles in the village of Whelford and arrested five men on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act. They were later further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. A 400-metre cordon was set up and army bomb disposal experts used a robot to examine three white vans. About 85 households were evacuated and residents were sent to a nearby leisure centre.

Police later said no improvised explosive devices were found in the vans, but a quantity of petrol was recovered as an accelerant. The five original suspects, all UK nationals from London in their early to mid-twenties, were released on police bail with stringent conditions. It also emerged that one of those five had called 999 himself at about 12.45am, almost an hour before a local farmer raised the alarm. The farmer described seeing three vans and a group of masked men, and said she believed there may have been eight to ten people.

Counter-terrorism police led the investigation and said they were examining possible foreign state involvement, including whether the men were acting knowingly or unknowingly as proxies. Iran denied any involvement. US President Donald Trump initially praised the arrests, then criticised the decision to release the men on bail. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident clearly involved the hands of a foreign actor. The US later withdrew all its bombers from RAF Fairford, with the Pentagon citing operational security and the Wall Street Journal reporting security concerns.

A sixth man, a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national, was arrested in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts and later released on bail. A seventh man, a 22-year-old British national, was also arrested in London and bailed. In the Commons, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the government's assessment was that the incident was highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Foreign Secretary summoned the Iranian ambassador, and the Home Secretary announced sanctions against two individuals linked to Iranian espionage and attacks in Europe and the US.

Residents of Whelford have been allowed back to their homes, but armed police remain around the base and the investigation continues. Counter-terrorism police say they are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry and have described the case as complex.