A 27-year-old dual British and Iranian national has been arrested in London over the activity near RAF Fairford at the weekend, on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, according to Counter Terrorism Policing.
The man was detained on Thursday afternoon in the borough of Westminster under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. A second man, aged 26 and a British national, has been questioned under caution, and two properties in the same area have been searched.
Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry.
“As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles, including possible foreign state involvement. I’d like to thank the public for their continued support and patience whilst we work through this investigation.”
The five men in their twenties arrested on Sunday remain on police bail. They were detained in the early hours after Gloucestershire Constabulary received a report of suspicious vehicles near the airfield, initially on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and later of preparation of a terrorist act. A major incident was declared and properties were evacuated in the village of Whelford beside the base.
Counter Terrorism Policing said on Tuesday that no improvised explosive devices had been found in the three vehicles examined, although a quantity of petrol was recovered, and that searches of properties in London had concluded. All five of those arrested on Sunday are London residents, four in Westminster and one in Camden, as we reported.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, who heads National Counter Terrorism Policing, said earlier in the week that officers were keeping an open mind on whether the current international situation had any bearing on the case, and that they were considering whether the activity might have been committed by proxies or by individuals knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state. Evans has now repeated that possible foreign state involvement is among the lines being pursued.
Fairford, in Gloucestershire, is a United States Air Force forward operating location rather than a flying station of the Royal Air Force, and its long runway has made it the standing European base for American strategic bombers. B-1B Lancers have been operating from the airfield, and the base moved to its highest force protection condition before the arrests were made.
Nobody has been charged in connection with the investigation, and Counter Terrorism Policing has asked anyone with information that might assist to report it through gov.uk/ACT or by calling the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
