Five Britons probed over suspected bomb plot outside US air base
Five men detained over a suspected terrorist plot near RAF Fairford, an airbase used by US warplanes involved in strikes on Iran, are British nationals from London aged between 23 and 25, UK counter-terrorism police said on Monday.
Investigators have developed “multiple new lines of enquiry” as they seek to establish the suspects’ activities and motivation, counter-terrorism police have added. A source familiar with the investigation has told Reuters that an Iran-linked motive was considered the most likely line of inquiry.
Iran has denied any involvement. Its embassy in London said on Monday that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” what it called “unfounded and malicious speculations” linking Tehran to the arrests, saying they served to fuel “Iranophobia propaganda” in Britain.
The men were detained early on Sunday after police received a report of three suspicious vehicles travelling toward the base. They were initially arrested on suspicion of explosives offenses and later on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. They have since been released on police bail while the investigation continues.
The BBC published an unverified photo purportedly showing the arrested suspects sitting half-naked on the ground with their hands behind their backs and faces blurred.
A British Army bomb disposal unit was sent to examine the vehicles, and around 85 households were evacuated as a precaution, Ocone told reporters. UK media outlets have shown what appears to be helicopter footage depicting a specialized wheeled robot operating near the vans.
Commenting on the incident in a post on X, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged “people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.”
The US Air Force has operated out of RAF Fairford for decades, with heavy bombers stationed at the base, including bombers used in strikes against Iran.
In July, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement warning the UK specifically that “any base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory is a legitimate target for our forces.”
Commenting on the incident, a US military spokesperson told local media that the Pentagon is “working closely with our UK counterparts to monitor this situation.”
US President Donald Trump told reporters that the suspects “were looking to do big damage to our fort.”
“We had them under investigation… We had them under view for a long time, and we got them,” he said.
