A 22-year-old British man arrested in Westminster on Tuesday, October 6, over suspected terrorist activity at RAF Fairford has been released on police bail.
Authorities have arrested seven men, all in their 20s and including one British-Iranian national, in connection with the investigation and have released them on police bail as specialist officers continue their inquiries.
The seventh man was detained on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into activity at the Gloucestershire airbase on September 27.
He was apprehended in Westminster, London, with counter-terrorism police also searching a property in the same area, they confirmed at the time.
He has since been released from custody under strict bail conditions.
Upon his arrest, senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans said: “This remains a live investigation and our specialist teams continue to pursue multiple lines of enquiry into the circumstances surrounding events near RAF Fairford.
“Once again, I’d like to thank the public for their continued support and patience whilst we work through this highly complex investigation.
“We’re acutely aware of the public interest in this investigation, and we are working around the clock, and at pace, to identify the motivation behind events in Gloucestershire. We remain committed to investigating all possible angles.”
A seventh man has been released on bail as RAF Fairford investigation continues
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PAPolice arrested five other British nationals on Sunday, September 27, after three suspicious vehicles were reported outside RAF Fairford in the early hours. They were later bailed.
A sixth man, a dual UK-Iranian national, was later arrested on Thursday, October 1. He also remains on bail.
President Donald Trump expressed displeasure at the release of the original five suspects, telling reporters: “I wouldn’t have done that”.
RAF Fairford is a key outpost of the US Air Force and, until recently, hosted a fleet of American heavy bombers.
A police investigation remains ongoing after the suspected terror plot at the air base
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REUTERS
RAF Fairford is a key stragetic outpost for the US Air Force
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GETTYThroughout the war with Iran, around a dozen B-1 Lancer aircraft flew sorties from RAF Fairford to deliver “defensive strikes”.
However, the bombers have since been recalled to the US following the incident.
Last week, Andy Burnham told GB News there were “strong indications“ that the Islamic Republic had played a part in the suspected plot.
British officials have admitted there was “an ongoing high tempo of threat from Iran to the UK, and it is logical that US airbases would be pretty high on any targeting list”.
Downing Street has insisted that RAF Fairford is ‘safe’ despite the US withdrawing a bomber fleet from the base
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PAUS Vice President JD Vance told reporters Iran is doing what it has “done for 49 years… which is engage in acts of terrorism against the US and against a lot of other people”.
He also said an “abundance of caution” had prompted the removal of the US bombers from RAF Fairford.
The CTP’s Vicki Evans previously said the investigation was “hugely complex”, adding that specialist teams were “interrogating multiple lines of inquiry”.
The force said it was now investigating “all possible angles”, including “possible foreign state involvement”.
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