UK police rearrest duo suspected of helping Iranian intel over RAF Fairford incident
One suspect previously arrested outside of airbase and another nabbed in London returned to custody; police officer says Tehran's involvement highly likely
LONDON — British police said on Tuesday that they had rearrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence as part of their investigation into activity at the RAF Fairford air base last month.
RAF Fairford had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, but American B-1 bombers were withdrawn shortly after five British men were arrested outside the military base in southwest England in the early hours of September 27.
Two other men were later arrested by police, though all seven were released on bail. Counter Terrorism Policing said on Tuesday, however, that two individuals had been rearrested under the National Security Act.
CTP said in a statement they had rearrested a 24-year-old British national, who was initially arrested outside RAF Fairford, and also a 25-year-old British-Iranian dual national who had previously been arrested in London.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, said in a statement: “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.”
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week said that the activity at RAF Fairford was likely to have been coordinated in Iran, which Iran’s ambassador to Britain has denied.
“We know the public have unanswered questions,” CTP’s Taylor said. “I want to be as transparent as possible and when we are in the position to share more, we will.”
British authorities have for some years accused Iran of being involved in numerous plots and attempted assassinations in Britain using criminal networks and proxies, accusations Tehran has repeatedly denied.
Last year Britain said there had been 20 credible Iranian-backed threats to kill or kidnap individuals based in the UK.
In July, Britain used new powers to ban support for the IRGC and a linked group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, which had claimed responsibility for seven attacks earlier this year at locations linked to Jewish and Israeli communities, and Persian-language media.