Arrest of Individual Holding British and Iranian Citizenship on Suspicion of Planning Terrorist Acts

British police arrested a dual British-Iranian citizen on suspicion of planning terrorist acts as part of an investigation into a potential attack on a US airbase used in operations against Iran.

British police initially arrested the five suspects on suspicion of explosives offenses, later stating they were suspected of planning a terrorist act, but subsequently released them.

US President Donald Trump said those involved in the plot were planning to cause serious damage, while Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio pointed to a “foreign entity” behind the matter.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard had stated in July that the base was a legitimate target.

British counter-terrorism police later confirmed they were examining whether a foreign state was involved, before Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on Wednesday the possibility of a link to Iran.

Yesterday, Thursday, a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian citizen was arrested in London as part of an investigation described by police as “highly complex.”

Iran said the allegations of its involvement were baseless and summoned the British ambassador in Tehran yesterday regarding the case.

Police stated that no explosives were found during the investigation, but a quantity of petrol was seized during vehicle searches.

They added that the five detained men are all British citizens aged between 23 and 25, residing in London.

Fairford is one of the few airbases in Europe used by the US Air Force that can accommodate heavy bombers, playing a key role in both the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War.

In July, Britain announced its armed forces were ready to protect Fairford base after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned Britain against allowing US bombers to operate from the base. The Guard stated that any base used to launch attacks would be a legitimate target.

A local official said surveillance operations in the area were intensified over the past six weeks following a specific threat from Iranians.