UK Rearrests Two Men In Suspected Iranian Plot At U.S. RAF Base
British counterterrorism police rearrested two men on October 20, 2026, under the National Security Act on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service over a suspected plot at RAF Fairford.[1]
Police identified the men as a 24-year-old British citizen and a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national.[1] Five other men arrested earlier remain on bail and no one has been charged so far.[1] National Counter Terrorism Policing chief Laurence Taylor said investigators consider Iranian state involvement "highly likely" and are still assessing that possibility.[1]
Police first responded on September 27 to a suspected plot at RAF Fairford and evacuated nearby residents.[1] Investigators found gasoline accelerant in three vans at the site but did not find explosives.[1] The U.S. Air Force removed all its bombers from RAF Fairford earlier in October after the security incident.[1]
The rearrests were carried out under the National Security Act as part of an ongoing counterterrorism inquiry by UK authorities.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On September 27, 2026, police responded to a suspected plot at U.S.-run RAF Fairford in western England and evacuated nearby residents.
- Investigators found gasoline accelerant in three vans at the site but no explosives.
- On October 20, 2026, UK counterterrorism police rearrested a 24-year-old British man and a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national under the National Security Act on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service.
- Five other previously arrested men remain on bail, and no one has yet been charged.
- The U.S. Air Force removed all its bombers from RAF Fairford earlier in October following the security incident.
- National Counter Terrorism Policing chief Laurence Taylor said it is considered "highly likely" there was Iranian state involvement, which investigators are still assessing.
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