British counter-terrorism police are continuing to investigate the arrest of five British men near RAF Fairford, which is used by US forces, as they examine whether their activities were linked to a foreign power, including Iran.
Vehicle searches find petrol but no explosives
Searches found no explosives in the three vehicles near the base, but police discovered a quantity of petrol, prompting investigators to examine several theories about why the men were in the area. One possibility is that the suspects carried out a reconnaissance mission, or what is known as a “dry run”, to test security procedures and weaknesses around the base ahead of a possible operation.
Authorities are also examining whether the men were working for a foreign state, whether or not they knew who was behind the mission, as well as the possibility that the incident was linked to an attempt to steal fuel. The case has heightened security sensitivity because of the nature of RAF Fairford, which hosts hundreds of US military personnel.
Emergency call and farmer’s report broaden investigation
US bombers have also used the base to carry out strikes against Iran during the current war, making the possibility of a motive linked to a foreign party one of the lines of inquiry being pursued by counter-terrorism police. The circumstances of a call made by one of the five men to the British emergency services about an hour before his arrest added to the complexity of the investigation.
The reason for the call, or what the man wanted to tell police, remains unknown. Investigators are trying to determine whether he realised he was involved in a dangerous plot and decided to alert the authorities, or whether the call itself was part of the activity under investigation. Earlier, at 1.36am, a farmer reported the matter to police after seeing three small vehicles and a number of men behaving suspiciously near the base as she returned home.
Authorities are working to connect the timing of the report with the earlier call made by one of the suspects and establish the sequence of the men’s and vehicles’ movements around the military facility. The five men were arrested on suspicion of explosives-related offences and preparing to carry out a terrorist act.
Detainees’ ages and intelligence-gathering theories
All the detainees are British men from London, aged between 23 and 25. However, searches of the vehicles found no explosive devices, while the discovery of petrol raised questions about what it was intended for and the group’s real purpose near the base.
Investigators are examining whether the vehicles arrived in the area as part of an intelligence-gathering operation or to test how close they could get to the base without being detected. The theories also include the possibility that the men were recruited online to act as agents for a foreign power, while inquiries continue into how much they may have known about the party that could have tasked them with the mission.
Assistant Commissioner Lawrence Taylor, head of British counter-terrorism policing, said authorities were considering whether the activity had been carried out by “agents or individuals, knowingly or unknowingly, working for a foreign state”. A possible link to Iran is one line of inquiry, with no final determination yet made about the nature of the relationship or the role of any external party.
Tensions with Iran surround the security investigation
The investigation comes amid rising tensions between Britain and Iran, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned in July that any British base used to launch attacks on Tehran would be a “legitimate target”. Authorities are considering this background alongside the circumstances of the incident and the other possibilities involving security reconnaissance or fuel.
British authorities released the five men on bail the day after their arrest, a decision criticised by US President Donald Trump. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a “foreign power” was clearly involved in the incident, while counter-terrorism police defended the decision, stressing that the suspects remained under investigation and were subject to strict bail conditions.
Police said the decision to release the men on bail was based on a careful investigative assessment of the facts and available evidence. During the security response, residents of about 85 homes in the nearby village of Welford were evacuated over fears that the vehicles might contain explosives, before searches found none.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications that Iran played a role” in what happened near RAF Fairford. He described the investigation as “ongoing, complex and dangerous”, adding that Britain was working closely with the United States on the case.
Burnham declined to disclose the nature of the information on which the government based its link between Iran and the incident, but said he “would not say that lightly”. He added that British authorities were imposing “the strictest possible bail conditions” on the suspects, stressing that the case was subject to the highest levels of security oversight as the investigation continued into the motives behind the activity and the parties potentially linked to it.
