- Police arrested a 27-year-old dual UK-Iranian national in Westminster on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
- RAF Fairford incident triggered village evacuation and a major incident after reports of masked men and vans blocking roads.
- Five men arrested at the airbase were released on bail, no explosives found and the nature of the threat remains unexplained.
- Investigation is described as hugely complex, probing all angles including possible foreign state involvement; Iran strongly denies any role.
British anti-terrorism police said they had arrested a man with dual UK-Iranian citizenship over a mysterious “major incident” on Sunday at an airbase in southwest England.
The arrest came after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC there were “strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford”, a base used by the US military in its war against Iran.
Counter Terrorism Policing said in a statement Thursday that a “27-year-old man, a dual UK/Iranian national, was arrested” in Westminster in central London “on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts”.
Police said a second man, a British citizen, was questioned but not arrested and two properties were searched in Westminster.
Police were called to the base in the Cotswolds early Sunday, triggering an evacuation of the nearby village and the declaration of a “major incident”.
A farmer living in the village of Whelford near the airbase called the police after seeing vans blocking a road and a group of masked men.
Police arrested five London-based Britons, all men in their mid-20s, at the scene and examined several vehicles. The men were then released on bail Monday, a move criticised by Washington.
Police then revealed no explosives were found at the scene and the nature of the threat has not been explained by officials.
Adding to the mystery, British media reported that officers were alerted to the incident by one of the initial suspects but police have not commented on the reports.
Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said in a statement Thursday that the investigation is “hugely complex” and police are looking at “all possible angles — including possible foreign state involvement”.
Iran’s embassy in London earlier said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” speculation it was involved while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Burnham was “barking up the wrong tree”.
