London
British counter-terrorism police announced on Tuesday that they had re-arrested two men as part of their investigation into the incident last month at RAF Fairford in England, where US B-1 bombers were based.
A 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old British-Iranian national were re-arrested on suspicion of assisting Iranian foreign intelligence services, police said in a statement.
“So far, seven men have been arrested as part of our investigation,” senior counter-terrorism police officer Laurence Taylor said in a statement. “Thanks to the continued efforts of our officers, earlier today two of these men were re-arrested for offenses relating to section 3 of the National Security Act – assisting a foreign intelligence service.”
“This is a live investigation, and our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same; we consider it very likely that there is Iranian state involvement,” Taylor added. The other five men are currently on bail. Police have not released the names of any of them.
In late September, British authorities announced the initial arrest of five men “on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act” and explosives-related offenses near RAF Fairford, a British air base long used by the US Air Force. Army bomb disposal units and police officers swarmed the area and evacuated civilian homes around the base.
Earlier this month, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the alleged plot targeting RAF Fairford was “almost certainly led by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.” Iran has strongly rejected these accusations.
US President Donald Trump welcomed the arrests at the time, telling reporters that the United States had been working with Britain and that the arrested men planned to cause “great damage” to RAF Fairford.
“We had them under surveillance for a long time, and we got them,” Trump said. U.S. intelligence had spotted plans by Iranian groups to target U.S. assets at the base weeks before any arrests, according to several sources familiar with the matter.
Residents around RAF Fairford may also have alerted authorities. One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told CNN she called police after seeing three vans surrounded by eight to 10 masked men blocking her driveway.
In an interview with Sky News, British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the woman for making the emergency call. He mentioned that she only had a “partial picture” and provided no further details.
Developments at the grassroots did not stop there. Days after the initial arrests, the United States withdrew all its long-range bombers from RAF Fairford following an unspecified threat, an informed source said.
At the time, Trump and Vice President JD Vance suggested that a threat to U.S. assets prompted the decision.
“I think we can say that — I mean, they didn’t leave by accident,” Trump said. “There were threats, and rather than tempt the enemy, we’re going to capture the enemy and beat them. But why should we leave them there? So we moved them a little bit.”
Vance said the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution,” suggesting it was a response to a potential threat from Iran, although he declined to detail specific concerns.
As of Tuesday, none of the American bombers had returned to Fairford.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Gn world
