British police announced, on Thursday, the release on bail of a seventh person arrested in connection with an incident at a British military air base used by the United States to launch strikes against Iran.
A 22-year-old British man was arrested in London on Tuesday “on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts” last month at the Fairford base of the British Royal Air Force.
The police counter-terrorism unit said in a statement that the young man “was released under strict bail conditions,” according to Agence France-Presse.
She added: “In total, seven men, all in their twenties, were arrested as part of the investigation.” One of them holds dual British and Iranian citizenship, and no charges were brought against any of them.
The arrest came a day after US President Donald Trump announced that Washington had withdrawn all of its B-1 bombers from the Fairford base due to “threats” that he said were linked to Tehran.
The authorities had stopped three suspicious pickup trucks near the base, located in southwestern England, early on September 27.
The British authorities then announced a “major incident,” which required the evacuation of nearby homes. However, the source and nature of the threat remain mysterious.
Investigators did not find any explosives inside the trucks, but they did find quantities of gasoline, according to officials.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham had stated that there were “strong indications that Iran played a role” in the incident, which Tehran denied.
Last March, Britain granted Washington permission to use the Fairford base for “specific defensive operations against Iran,” and other American bombers and aircraft were seen taking off and landing at the base. The British government stresses that the base is safe.
Trump, who criticized the British authorities for releasing the suspects on bail, said on Monday: “We know the people behind the threat (...) They are linked to Iran.” But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to downplay any specific threat.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Thursday that the “stalemate” in the war between Russia and Ukraine is “very dangerous” with the possibility that both sides of the conflict will resort to escalation to break it.
Rubio stated, during a visit to Portugal at the end of a European tour, that “one or both parties will intensify their efforts to try to break the opponent and end the stalemate, and this is very dangerous,” according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
Rubio told a Greek newspaper that the United States supports a submarine electricity cable project in the eastern Mediterranean that has the support of the European Union, and will resort to diplomatic means to try to remove any potential obstacles to its implementation, according to what was reported by Reuters news agency.
IPTO, the Greek electricity grid operator, is developing the project, which is estimated to cost about 1.9 billion euros and aims to connect the European mainland to Cyprus and later to Israel, but progress has been slow due to a dispute between Greece and Turkey over the maritime area that will be allocated to lay the cable.
Greece wants to resume seabed surveying to determine the route soon, a step Türkiye says requires prior coordination between the two countries. Because this route passes through an area subject to a maritime agreement signed with Libya in 2019, which Athens rejects.
In an interview with the Kathimerini newspaper published on Thursday, Rubio said that the United States is “very committed” to the project. Because it promotes diversification of energy supplies, something he said was necessary because of Russia's war in Ukraine and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
He added: “We realize that there are some potential obstacles, and some things that stand in our way, and we intend to use our diplomatic efforts to remind all parties of how important this matter is to us and why. “I hope we can find solutions.”
Last August, the French investment group Meridiam signed an agreement to become the majority shareholder in the project.
Cyprus is the only EU country that is not connected to the other members' electricity markets, and the cable aims to improve its energy security.
