Two men have been re-arrested in the UK on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service, escalating a months-long investigation into a failed plot at a US-run airbase.
The move signals that British authorities believe the threat is far from over. With the airbase used to launch strikes on Tehran, the stakes for national security have never been higher.
Live Investigation
Counter Terrorism Policing confirmed the arrests under the National Security Act. The suspects are a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian citizen. They were initially detained on September 27 and October 1, respectively, but had been released on bail until Tuesday. Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, called the case “hugely complex.” “We consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement,” Taylor stated, noting that detectives are still tracing the exact ambition behind the operation.
Base Under Siege
The original incident at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire began when a member of the public reported three suspicious vans near the perimeter. Armed police and bomb disposal experts swarmed the rural area, forcing residents to evacuate. Investigators found petrol in the vehicles but no explosives. The disruption was enough to force the US to pull its bombers out of the base. Prime Minister Andy Burnham later declared the plot “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Broader Threat
This isn’t an isolated event. Ken McCallum, the UK’s domestic intelligence chief, warned that Iran and Russia are expanding attacks on British military infrastructure. More than 50 people have been arrested over Iran-linked plots in the past year. Five other men in their 20s remain on bail, though no one has been formally charged yet. Iran denies involvement, maintaining that any base used to strike its territory is a legitimate target. For now, the investigation remains live, with more arrests possible.
Source: Al Jazeera
This article was compiled by the IndiaBBCNews editorial system from verified international news sources. Facts have been independently reviewed. Original reporting: Al Jazeera.
