LONDON — British counterterrorism officers on Tuesday rearrested two men accused of assisting Iran’s foreign intelligence service in connection with a security incident at a U.S.-operated military airfield last month, authorities said.
The suspects, identified by police as a 24-year-old British citizen and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national, were taken into custody under Section 3 of the National Security Act. Both had previously been released on bail as part of an inquiry into a Sept. 27 incident near RAF Fairford, an air base in western England utilized by American aircraft.
Accelerant Found in Three Vans
Police initially responded to the rural base in Gloucestershire after receiving a report from a local resident who noticed three suspicious vehicles in the area. CNN reported that a neighbor notified emergency services after observing three vans and several masked individuals blocking a driveway. Emergency responders established a wide cordon, evacuating dozens of nearby homeowners while military explosive-ordnance personnel and armed police secured the site.
Authorities later confirmed that investigators discovered gasoline inside the vans, though no explosive devices were located. In total, law enforcement has arrested seven men in connection with the investigation. Five suspects, all in their 20s, remain free on bail, and prosecutors have not brought formal charges against anyone involved, according to British police.
One of the rearrested men was initially apprehended on Sept. 27, while the other was first taken into custody on Oct. 1.
Alleged Ties to Iranian Intelligence
British officials have repeatedly linked the incident to the Iranian government, noting that RAF Fairford had served as an operating hub for American B-1 bombers conducting missions against Iran during this year’s conflict. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously stated that the foiled plan was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Laurence Taylor, the national director of British counterterrorism policing, said on Tuesday that investigators are still pursuing multiple leads in what he termed a live and complex inquiry.
“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,” Taylor said.
Taylor added that detectives are working to evaluate the exact degree of foreign state participation and the full objectives of the plot.
Tehran has denied any role in the matter. Although Iranian authorities have previously declared that any installation used to carry out strikes against their territory represents a legitimate target, the Iranian Embassy in London rejected allegations of state involvement, calling them unfounded speculation.
U.S. Bombers Relocated
The security scare prompted the U.S. Air Force to pull all of its long-range bombers out of RAF Fairford days after the initial arrests, according to news reports. U.S. President Donald Trump said American intelligence worked closely with British partners and commended the operation, telling reporters that the suspects intended to cause substantial harm to the facility.
Trump noted that the aircraft were relocated away from the base rather than left exposed to potential danger. Vice President JD Vance described the redeployment as a move made out of an abundance of caution in response to potential threats. As of Tuesday, American bomber squadrons had not returned to Fairford.
The rearrests follow warnings from Ken McCallum, director general of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5, who stated last week that state-sponsored threats from both Iran and Russia are escalating across the U.K. McCallum noted that security services have arrested more than 50 people linked to Iranian plots during the past year as Tehran seeks to expand its operations on British soil.
Investigators said Tuesday that evidence gathering remains underway as prosecutors decide whether the suspects will face formal criminal charges.
