A dual British-Iranian national has been arrested on suspicion of “preparing terrorist acts”, in connection with an alleged plot to target a British air base used by US forces.
The 27-year-old man was arrested in Westminster, London, on Thursday, a day after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were "strong indications" of Iranian involvement in the incident, statements that appeared to support the US assessment that a foreign entity was involved in the incident.
British counter-terrorism police said on Thursday that a second man, a 26-year-old British citizen, had been “subjected to questioning and given a formal warning.”
Police also searched two properties in the area that witnessed the recent arrests.
Vicky Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “The investigation into the circumstances of the events in Gloucestershire is extremely complex, and our specialist teams are examining several strands of investigation.”
She added: “As we have made clear, we are examining all possibilities, including the possibility of the involvement of a foreign country.”
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, Burnham said: “There are strong indications that Iran played a role in what happened over the weekend at the RAF Fairford base, but of course the police investigation remains ongoing, complex and serious.”
He added: "We will make further statements in due course, but we can confirm our belief that Iran played a role in this."
“Of course I wouldn't say that lightly,” Burnham said, noting that the UK is working "closely" with its US counterparts.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the suspected terrorist plot "clearly involved foreign intervention," after Trump said the suspects "may be" linked to Iran.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel had transferred to Britain intelligence information “indicating that an attack had occurred, and that it was an Iranian-sponsored attack.” He did not provide details about the nature of the intelligence information that was transferred. CNN has contacted the British Prime Minister's office for comment.
On the other hand, Iran described these accusations as baseless and summoned the British ambassador in Tehran, according to what was reported by official Iranian media on Thursday. During the meeting, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi reportedly urged London to review what he described as its “inappropriate approach” towards Tehran.
Iran had previously denied any involvement in the incident, before Burnham's statements, while the Iranian embassy in London criticized reports indicating a link between Tehran and the incident, saying that it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent baseless and malicious speculation" regarding Iran's involvement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday that Britain was “looking in the wrong direction.”
Burnham's statements come at a time when questions about the incident, which led to a broad security response in the region and raised a state of concern at the international level, are still circulating on both sides of the Atlantic.
Five other men were arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of committing crimes related to explosives, and were later charged with terrorism, near the Royal Air Force base in Fairford, western England, from which American B-1 bombers fly missions against Iran.
The five men, whose identities have not been revealed, are British citizens between the ages of 23 and 25 and from the London area. They were quickly released on bail after police confirmed that no explosives were found inside three trucks at the scene of the incident. Their release sparked criticism from US President Donald Trump, who said: "I would not have done that." Police announced on Thursday that the five men remained on bail.
On Wednesday, Burnham sought to reassure the British public and US authorities that he had made the right decision, saying: “I think people need to understand that the word ‘released’ does not mean what they might think. This was of course done under the strictest possible bail conditions.”
He added that he "spoke all week with his counterparts in the United States to explain what is happening here and how things are going," noting that he has "full confidence" in the way the security services are handling the case.
Legal experts say that granting bail rarely happens when there are serious reasons to suspect terrorist crimes. Britain's anti-terrorism laws allow police to detain suspects for up to 14 days before bringing charges against them.
Trump indicated that the group was under surveillance. British officials were more reserved, but residents near the base reported tighter security the day before the arrests.
US Ambassador to Britain Warren Stevens praised the cooperation between the two countries, saying they were working together "to keep our citizens safe, at home and abroad."
Phone call and farmer
Earlier Wednesday, British media reported that one of the suspects in the alleged scheme called the police shortly before his arrest, adding to the mystery of the case.
The Times and BBC reported that the suspect's call to 999, the emergency number in Britain, came about an hour before a farmer notified the authorities after seeing a group of masked men and three white trucks.
The Times reported that police were already on the scene when a call later came from the local woman. The newspaper added that the police are investigating whether the suspect backed out of the plan, or whether making the call was part of the plan.
In their most recent public statements, British police officials indicated that there may have been more than one incident that led to their action.
Lawrence Taylor, a senior counter-terrorism policing official, told reporters: “The police response was triggered in the early hours of Sunday morning by a range of information we received, including a call from a member of the public about several vehicles behaving suspiciously near RAF Fairford.”
Taylor added that “no improvised explosive devices were found” in the vehicles used by the men, but “a quantity of gasoline was found.”
