Fairford Air Base: 25-year-old arrested for terrorism released on bail

Investigators continue to delve deeper into the case, while doubts remain about the nature of the threat. London hypothesizes a possible involvement of Iran, which however denies all accusations.

The 25-year-old with dual British and Iranian citizenship arrested as part of the investigation into the mysterious alarm triggered at the Fairford military air base in the south-west of England has been released on bail. This was announced by the British police anti-terrorism unit. The young man was arrested last Thursday in central London on charges of preparing possible terrorist acts.

In the previous days, the other five men arrested on Sunday near the base in Gloucestershire, suspected of crimes related to terrorism and possession of explosives, had already been released on bail. The authorities specified that the investigations remain open to clarify what happened. “The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the events in Gloucestershire continues,” police said.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham also spoke on the case, speaking of "strong indications of Iran's involvement". A hypothesis that Tehran has rejected. However, both the origin and the actual nature of the threat that would have affected the Fairford base, a structure used by the US armed forces in the war against Iran, remain unclear.

The alarm was raised in the early hours of Sunday after reports of some "suspicious" white vans heading towards the military installation. The situation had prompted the authorities to temporarily evacuate the nearby village. In the following days, the police reported that they had not found any explosives in the affected area.

According to some British media, it was one of the first suspects who raised the alarm, a reconstruction on which investigators did not wish to comment. The affair also caused tensions with Washington, which criticized the release of those arrested on bail and, from the early stages of the investigation, supported the theory of the possible involvement of a hostile state.