LONDON — British counter-terrorism authorities have arrested five men over an alleged plot to attack RAF Fairford, a strategic Royal Air Force base in western England heavily utilised by the United States military for its ongoing aggression against Iran.
The suspects, all London residents aged between 23 and 25, were detained on Sunday in the village of Whelford, located near the Gloucestershire airbase. According to Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP), the men were held on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act and preparing a terrorist act under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
Aerial footage and local reports indicated that a bomb disposal robot was deployed near three white vans linked to the suspects in a wooded area close to the base. Witnesses and media crews in the vicinity reported hearing what appeared to be controlled explosions as authorities examined large black objects recovered from the scene.
Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, described the arrests as a “hugely complex and large-scale operation.” The suspects, who hail from Camden, Westminster, and Willesden, remain in police custody while investigators pursue multiple lines of inquiry to establish a motive.
Despite police stating that no motive has been established and no links to foreign entities have been confirmed, several British media outlets and commentators quickly engaged in baseless speculation, attempting to tie the arrests to Iran.
The Iranian Embassy in London swiftly and categorically rejected these claims, condemning the malicious attempts to link the Islamic Republic to the suspects.
“The embassy 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 embassy said in a statement.
Tehran noted that the claims were “fabricated speculations” designed to fuel “Iranophobia propaganda” within the UK, adding that Iran reserves the right to take legal measures to protect its interests against damaging and misleading media narratives.
RAF Fairford serves as a critical forward operating location for the US Air Force in Europe. Over the past seven months, the base has been a primary staging ground for the deployment of long-range American bombers to support Washington’s military campaigns and acts of aggression against Iran.
Reference: PressTv