Gasoline found near England air base as 2 men rearrested on suspicion of spying for iran in suspected plot
Two Men Rearrested
Counter Terrorism Policing said Tuesday that the men were arrested under the National Security Act. One is a 24-year-old British national; the other is a 25-year-old dual U.K.-Iranian national.
They had been arrested earlier and released on bail as police pursued further inquiries. Five other men previously arrested remain on bail, and no charges have been filed.
Investigation At RAF Fairford
Police are investigating a suspected terror plot on Sept. 27 targeting RAF Fairford, a U.S.-run base in western England. The base has been used to bomb Iran during this year’s war.
Residents near the base were evacuated as armed police and army bomb-disposal experts searched the rural area. Police later reported finding gasoline, described as an accelerant, in three vans, but no explosives.
Authorities Assess Iran Link
British authorities have linked Tehran to the incident, which prompted the U.S. to remove its bombers from RAF Fairford earlier this month. Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the U.K., said investigators were pursuing “many lines of enquiry” in what he called a complex investigation.
Taylor said police considered Iranian state involvement highly likely, while continuing to examine its extent and the possible aims. Iran’s embassy in London has rejected what it called unfounded claims linking Iran to the incident.
Key points
- Police rearrested two men suspected of assisting Iran’s intelligence service.
- The men are a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual U.K.-Iranian national.
- Police found gasoline in three vans near RAF Fairford but reported no explosives.
- Five other men remain on bail, and no one has been charged.