All five men arrested near RAF Fairford over suspected bomb plot released on bail: Police
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "All five men arrested near RAF Fairford over suspected bomb plot released on bail: Police")
An armoured vehicle patrols the interior at RAF Fairford base in Fairford, south-west England. Photograph: (AFP)
The arrested suspects include a 24-year-old from Camden, north London; three men aged 23, 24 and 25 from Westminster, central London, and one aged 24 from Willesden, north-west London, said police, but did not reveal their full identities and details.
The five men arrested near the Royal Air Force base in Fairford being used by the US forces for operations against Iran in the ongoing conflict on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act were released on bail on Monday, said British police.
“Following extensive interviews and enquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon. To be very clear, this does not mean the investigation is over,” Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of the London Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terror unit, told reporters Monday afternoon.
“To be very clear, this does not mean the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry,” Taylor added.
He said investigators were considering all possible angles, including that the incident “may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state.”
All five men arrested on suspicion of terror offences at RAF Fairford are British nationals in their 20s from London, UK’s counter-terrorism police have said. The men were pictured shirtless on Sunday while being apprehended near the RAF base in Gloucestershire, which is being used by the US Air Force in its operations against Iran.
The counter-terrorist police said in a statement that the five men were detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and preparation of a terrorist act contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act. They include a 24-year-old from Camden, north London; three men aged 23, 24 and 25 from Westminster, central London, and one aged 24 from Willesden, north-west London.
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However, the police did not reveal their full identities and details.
The police added that the suspects arrested in the village of Whelford on Sunday morning are being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and a custody extension has been approved until later on Monday.
The CTP are still working to establish a motive for the incident.
Counter Terrorism Policing senior national coordinator, deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans said in a statement, “This is a hugely complex and large-scale operation, involving local and national policing, the MOD, and local agencies, who are working together to progress the investigation and support for the community.”
“I know this has been incredibly disruptive for local people, but I’d like to reassure them that our activity is in the interest of national security, but most importantly in the interest of their own safety.”
‘Investigation has led to multiple new lines of inquiry‘
The suspects were arrested in Whelford on Sunday morning after reports of three vehicles travelling towards the airbase at 12.45 am.
Counter-terrorism policing said investigators examined the scene overnight and had been carrying out a range of activity that had led to multiple new lines of inquiry.
As many as 85 households were evacuated on Sunday, and a large police and emergency services presence has been there since then.
Police said they were using “significant numbers of resources, including military assets,” at the location. “We are working hard to minimise disruption to local communities, but ask for their patience, as our work continues at the scene,” they said.
There is still a cordon in place at the location, and police said they would be reviewing it later on Monday.
Officers have been reportedly investigating whether Iran may be behind the suspected bomb plot. In July, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps publicly noted RAF Fairford’s use by US bombers, warning the UK that “any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces”.
Gloucestershire constabulary were initially alerted to three suspicious vans travelling towards RAF Fairford at 12.45 am on Sunday, and it is unclear what action was taken in the hour that followed.
The local farmer who spotted the vans and a group of masked men said she initially called the Ministry of Defence police, but there was no answer, so she called 999 at 1.36 am, and armed police arrived around 10 minutes later, said local media reports.
She said the police had “dropped the ball”.
Iran rejects reports of any links to airbase arrests
The Iranian embassy in the UK denied any links with the incident on Monday and said in a statement on social media, “The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to the arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base.”
“The circulation of such fabricated speculations, particularly in the aftermath of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK.”
