Published Oct 3, 2026 4:16 am
A B1 bomber prepares to take off as police officers man a checkpoint near RAF Fairford air base, in Fairford, England Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
LONDON (AP) — A dual U.K.-Iranian national arrested on suspicion of plotting a terror attack following a security incident at a U.S.-run military air base in England has been released on bail, authorities said Saturday.
The 25-year-old man was arrested Thursday in London on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts close to the RAF Fairford air base, which has been used by American bombers to strike Iran. He was the sixth person taken into custody and then released on bail as detectives investigate the incident.
British authorities have linked the incident to Tehran.
The five other men were not named, but police said they are all British nationals in their 20s and from London.
Scores of residents were evacuated from their homes near the base early Sunday as armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts swooped on the rural area. Police later said they had found a quantity of an accelerant – gasoline – in three vans linked to the five suspects, but no explosives.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the U.K. sees “strong indications” that Iran played a part in the incident. He did not provide details about what the suspects were planning or why the U.K. thinks Iran was involved.
Iran has denied involvement. It has previously said that it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.
RAF Fairford, 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including this year’s war with Iran.
Top U.S. officials have criticized the decision to grant the five suspects bail, with President Donald Trump saying “I wouldn’t have done that” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying a lot of people were “disturbed” by the move.
The arrests came at a time of heightened tensions around the threat from hostile states, with British security services saying Russia and Iran have both used proxies to commit crimes on U.K. soil. British officials have said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states, including Iran, increased by 50% in the six months to December 2025.
U.K. officials say proxies linked to Iran have been behind a string of arsons and other attacks in Britain and other countries, many of them targeting the Jewish community and intended to sow fear. They have previously warned that Tehran could expand its targets in the U.K. if conflicts in the Middle East continue.