Fairford Arrest
British police arrest a dual UK-Iranian national in London over a security incident at a US-run air base used to strike Iran.
Thursday, British counter-terrorism police arrested a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, according to the Associated Press and the BBC. Officers searched two properties in central London after the arrest, which came under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, the Guardian reported.
At RAF Fairford, the Gloucestershire base the U.S. Air Force has used this year to launch bomber strikes on Iran, a security scare preceded the arrest. Early Sunday, five British men in their twenties were arrested near the base after a farmer reported suspicious vans, the BBC said. One of the five had, in fact, called 999 himself about an hour earlier, according to the Guardian. Police found gasoline in the vans but no explosives, the AP and NBC News reported. All five were released on bail Monday.
Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said investigators are "looking at all possible angles, including possible foreign state involvement." She called the inquiry "hugely complex," the BBC and CNN reported.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC on Wednesday there are "strong indications that Iran played a part" in the Fairford incident. He gave no further detail. Iran denies any role. Its embassy in London said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" the accusations, the Guardian reported. Iranian state media reported that Tehran summoned the British ambassador over the claims, CNN said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday the plot "clearly involved the hands of a foreign actor," the BBC reported. President Trump said the suspects "might be" linked to Iran. After the five were bailed, he added, "I wouldn't have done that," according to NBC News. Burnham said the bail decision followed searches that turned up no viable device, the Guardian reported. British officials, he added, had been in daily contact with U.S. counterparts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel had passed intelligence to Britain warning of "an Iranian-sponsored attack," CNN reported. No detail on what, or how.
Tensions around RAF Fairford have been rising since July, when Iran's Revolutionary Guards declared the base a legitimate target, the Guardian reported. The vans found near the base Sunday carried the logo of a fuel transit company that later denied owning them, according to the Guardian.