British counter-terrorism police have rearrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iranian foreign intelligence following last month's security incident near a Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire.
A 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual British Iranian national are in custody on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, National Counter Terrorism Policing confirmed in a statement, specifying that the inquiry relates directly to Iran.
The investigation centres on an alert triggered early on September 27, when police responded to three suspicious vehicles in the vicinity of RAF Fairford, leading authorities to declare a major incident and evacuate dozens of nearby homes.
Seven men were initially arrested during the broader counter-terrorism investigation on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and committing offences under the Explosives Act.
The remaining five suspects continue to be held on police bail.
Suspected state involvement
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, confirmed that detectives are continuing to gather evidence in what remains an active and complex inquiry.
"This is very much a live investigation, and our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement," Taylor said.
"Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it."
The arrests follow remarks made earlier this month by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who asserted that the suspected plot was "highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC)".
Iran has strongly rejected the accusations of involvement, with the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoning the British ambassador in Tehran to lodge a formal protest over allegations made by senior British officials linking the country to the Fairford incident.
