Two men re-arrested on suspicion of aiding Iran over RAF Fairford incident
Quick Look
- Counter-terrorism police in London have re-arrested two men from Westminster for allegedly assisting Iranian intelligence, following an incident at RAF Fairford.
- The arrests fall under the 2023 National Security Act.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The investigation concerns events at RAF Fairford last month. The arrests are made under section 3 of the 2023 National Security Act.
Counter-terrorism police have re-arrested two men from central London accused of helping Iranian intelligence as part of the investigation into events at RAF Fairford last month.
A 24-year-old UK national and a 25-year-old UK/Iranian national, both from Westminster, were detained on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service in breach of the 2023 National Security Act, police said.
Assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of national counter-terrorism policing, said investigators considered it highly likely there was Iranian state involvement in the incident near the airbase last month.
“Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it,” he said.
The two men were previously arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences and released on police bail. This time the arrests relate to section 3 of the National Security Act, which states that an offence is committed if a person engages in conduct “likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service”.
Five other men who were previously arrested remain on police bail.
Open Questions
- What was the specific nature of the incident at RAF Fairford?
- What is the extent of Iranian state involvement?
