UK arrests two individuals suspected of involvement in attack on Fairford airbase

- Counter-terrorism police strongly suspect Iran’s involvement... investigations ongoing to determine the nature, scope, and motives of its role

The UK Counter-Terrorism Police announced on Tuesday the re-arrest of two individuals, one British and the other holding dual British-Iranian citizenship, on suspicion of providing assistance to a foreign intelligence service, as part of the investigation into last month’s attack on Fairford Air Base.

In a statement, the police clarified that the two men, both around 25 years old and from the Westminster area of London, were re-arrested on suspicion of collaborating with a foreign intelligence service, noting that Iran is the country of interest in the investigation.

The police added that one suspect was initially arrested on September 27 near the air base in Gloucestershire, while the other was arrested on October 1 in the Westminster area.

Assistant Commissioner and head of the UK Counter-Terrorism Police, Lawrence Taylor, said that investigations are still ongoing and that investigators continue to gather evidence to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident.

He added that the police position has not changed, as they still strongly suspect Iran’s involvement in the attack, explaining that investigators are working to determine the nature and scope of this involvement and the underlying objectives.

Fairford Air Base was subjected to an attack on September 27 that is suspected to have terrorist in nature, followed by a wave of arrests in mid-October involving five British men in their mid-twenties, suspected of committing explosives and terrorism-related offenses near the base, before they were later released on bail.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently stated that there are “strong indications” that Iran played a role in the incident.