Two British men were rearrested as suspects of assisting Iranian intelligence after previously being detained following an attempted attack on Fairford Air Base last month but were released on bail.
On Tuesday, 20 Oct 2026 GMT+7, the UK Counter-Terrorism Police revealed they arrested a 24-year-old British man and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national on suspicion of assisting foreign intelligence. Police said the investigation is linked to Iran.
The case stems from an incident on 27 September when three suspicious vehicles were seen heading to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, prompting a severe emergency declaration and evacuation of nearby residents.
Police and bomb disposal units inspected the three vans near the base and found petrol containers inside, although later police confirmed no improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were discovered.
So far, seven people have been arrested in connection with this case, all of whom were released on bail until the two men were rearrested.
The Deputy Chief of the National Counter-Terrorism Police stated there is a very high possibility of Iranian government involvement, and investigators are conducting in-depth inquiries into the extent and true purpose of this connection.
Previously, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham claimed there were “clear indicators” of Iran's involvement in the Fairford incident, while Iranian authorities have completely denied any connection.
RAF Fairford is used by the US Air Force as a frontline base and a deployment point for B-1 and B-52 bombers conducting missions against Iran in the war that began in late February and remains ongoing.
After the Fairford incident, the US decided to withdraw bombers from the base back to the US. President Donald Trump said the withdrawal was due to “some threats” against the base, while Vice President J.D. Vance stated it was done for heightened security monitoring.
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Source:bbc