A seventh man has been arrested over the activity near RAF Fairford at the end of last month, and detectives have said they are still working to establish a motive, Counter Terrorism Policing has said.
The 22-year-old British national was detained in the borough of Westminster in London on Tuesday on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, and a property in the same area has been searched.
Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “This remains a live investigation and our specialist teams continue to pursue multiple lines of enquiry into the circumstances surrounding events near RAF Fairford.
“Once again, I’d like to thank the public for their continued support and patience whilst we work through this highly complex investigation.
“We’re acutely aware of the public interest in this investigation, and we are working around the clock, and at pace, to identify the motivation behind events in Gloucestershire. We remain committed to investigating all possible angles.”
More than a week after the first arrests, the motivation behind the activity in Gloucestershire has still not been established. Ms Evans said last week that officers were looking at all possible angles including possible foreign state involvement, and Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said earlier 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.
Six men in their twenties remain on police bail, five of them arrested in the early hours of Sunday 27 September and the sixth, a dual British and Iranian national aged 25, detained on Thursday 1 October and bailed at the weekend. Nobody has been charged.
The original arrests followed a report of suspicious vehicles near the airfield, which brought officers out initially on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and subsequently of preparation of a terrorist act. A major incident was declared and homes were evacuated in the village of Whelford beside the base. Three vehicles were examined and no improvised explosive devices were found in them, although a quantity of petrol was recovered.
Fairford 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 first arrests were made.
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.
Given Americas inability to replace these aircraft they would be mad to leave them anywhere out doors and exposed. They were a magnet for Iranianian terrorists attacks or just Palestine protestors and leaving them in Britain served no purpose as they were not being used.
That’s why the US withdrew them. It was the prudent military decision.
However because of the Trump administrations half assed comments it looks like America had to retreat from its most secure important European bases just as it has had to retreat from its Middle Eastern bases.
Well Trump is incapable of making a statement with a bucket load of dick measuring and horse poop. Hell he doesn’t even need to comment, but cant resist when asked.
Folks,
Haver never visited RAF Fairford, but from composite photo set have noted that base infrastructure is w/in minimal distance of installation perimeter fence. Any alternative FOB option available? A location in the hinterlands of Scotland might prove preferable longer term.
Concur w/ USAF assessment for judicious temporary withdrawal of high value assets, bomber force is at post WWII nadir in terms of inventory. Although at least one account has labeled USAF action as “running away bravely,” as RAF pilots in Tornadoes were advised to do during GWI actions.
We only have ourselves to blame. Open borders with no mass deportations. It’s a recipe for chaos and civil dysfunction and either our politicians can’t see it I or dont have what it takes to sort.
How do you propose to identify the candidates for these mass deportations? How are you going to get the receiving countries to accept them (I gather that is already a problem for some of those whose asylum claims are rejected)? What country are you going to send somebody ‘back’ to when they were born in the UK and, in some cases, their parents or grand parents came here from more than one country?
Oh he has his candidates already identified. Black and Brown people to start of with. Next all those professing faiths other than Christianity or Judaism. See that part of the deportation plan is easy.
Where to deport them to?? Now that is a little harder but I am betting he is probably proposing to force the countries of origin of the black and brown people to take them back (dump the deportees at their airports and seaports). The non-Christian faith practitioners, dump them in any country in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Failing all that, like good old DJT, find a few dictators in poor countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, bribe them with a couple of million pounds each and get them to agree to taking the deportees (irrespective of whether they are a national or not). Oh, and don’t forget, to appear humane each deportee will be given 500 pounds or so when dumped. Off-course that cost money, so the UK budget will have to undergo cuts in the social services budget or the unthinkable for those of us who frequent this forum, cuts in the defence budget.