Police probe possible 'Iran-link' in arrests near RAF Fairford, Streeting says too early to speculate
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Police probe possible 'Iran-link' in arrests near RAF Fairford, Streeting says too early to speculate")
Police (R) continue to man a roadblock outside RAF Fairford base (L) in Fairford, south-west England on September 28, 2026, a day after British counter-terrorism police were probing "a major" incident near the base used by the US Air Force. Photograph: (AFP)
UK police are probing a possible Iran link after five suspects were arrested near RAF Fairford, while Defence Secretary Wes Streeting cautioned against speculation.
British Counter-terrorism Police are understood to be investigating a possible Iran link after an alleged bomb threat; five suspects were arrested near a Royal Air Force Fairford air base, according to a report by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. The report cites anonymous sources who say Tehran was unlikely to use proxies for this; instead, it was more likely to involve the state directly, but they also refused to rule out a possible Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot.
The physical arrests were triggered by a 999 call by a farmer who reportedly saw "a large group of hooded and masked men" lingering around with three suspicious vans, near the Royal Air Force Fairford air base used to strike Iran earlier in the year.
"When they saw me they ran ahead of me - some into the field and some towards the neighbouring village," she said. "I then realised that something highly unusual was taking place." The police reportedly rushed to the spot and arrested them.
The police have not disclosed the content within the three white vans, but according to military sources reported by British media, they reportedly contain materials and large black barrels consistent with Improvised Explosive Devices.
There is a contradiction in the whole narrative of the event. US President Donald Trump has said that the suspects had been looking to do “big damage” and had been under investigation by British and US authorities for sometime, inconsistent with the reports of the British media.
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British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting declined to link an ongoing investigation with Iran, suggesting that it would be “very unwise” for him to speculate.
“I don’t want to draw a link between what’s happening in Iran and this incident at this stage,” Wes Streeting told Bloomberg TV. “It’s far too early for me to, or indeed anyone else, to speculate on aims and motives.”
