Two men have been re-arrested in the investigation into activity close to RAF Fairford last month on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, with police confirming that the country the investigation relates to is Iran, according to a statement issued by Counter Terrorism Policing.
A 24-year-old United Kingdom national and a 25-year-old dual British and Iranian national, both from the London borough of Westminster, were re-arrested on Tuesday under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023. The 24-year-old was first arrested on Sunday 27 September near the Gloucestershire base, and the 25-year-old was arrested in Westminster on Thursday 1 October.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the United Kingdom, said: “Since the events at RAF Fairford on Sunday 27 September, our specialist teams have been working tirelessly to interrogate the many lines of enquiry involved in this hugely complex investigation.
“So far seven men have been arrested in connection with our investigation.
“As a result of the ongoing efforts of our officers, earlier today two of those men were re-arrested for offences relating to Section 3 of the National Security Act, assisting a foreign intelligence service.
“This is very much a live investigation, and our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement. Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it.
“Due to their sensitive nature, national security investigations can take time to progress, and I’m grateful to everyone who has given my teams the time and space needed to pursue this work thoroughly and effectively.
“From the outset our priority has been to uphold the integrity of this investigation and hold those who wish to do our country harm, accountable.
“We know the public have unanswered questions. I want to be as transparent as possible and when we are in the position to share more, we will.”
The other five men arrested remain on police bail.
Moving the two men onto Section 3 of the National Security Act marks a shift in how the case is being pursued. Five men in their twenties were arrested near Fairford on 27 September, and the Westminster arrest on 1 October was made under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, which covers preparing terrorist acts, with police saying at the time that they were considering all possible angles including foreign state involvement. The offence now under investigation is one of working for another country’s intelligence service.
Section 3 was created by the National Security Act 2023, which replaced the Official Secrets Acts and built a modern framework around espionage, sabotage and foreign interference. The offence carries a maximum sentence of fourteen years and applies where a person engages in conduct intended to materially assist a foreign intelligence service, including inside the United Kingdom.
RAF Fairford is a standby base operated by the United States Air Force under British ownership, with a runway long enough for the heaviest American aircraft, and it has hosted B-2 Spirit and B-52 bomber deployments to Europe for decades. It has no permanently based flying units, which is precisely what makes it useful when American bombers are sent across the Atlantic at short notice.
Louise Sandher-Jones, the Minister for the Armed Forces, told Parliament this week that security had been strengthened following the events at Fairford and at RAF Molesworth, that the Defence Investment Plan provides an additional £470 million over four years for site protection, and that the department would not hesitate to use the full range of powers available including the National Security Act.
Iran has been the subject of repeated British counter terrorism and national security operations in recent years, with MI5 having said publicly that it has disrupted a large number of plots linked to the Iranian state on British soil since 2022. None of the seven men has been charged.
are they going to be held until trial or released?