The five men arrested yesterday, suspected of planning to carry out a terrorist attack at the British military base RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, have been released on police bail but remain under investigation. All five men are British nationals from London and are aged between 23 and 25.
The farmer who tipped off the police had originally seen a group of hooded and masked men and said she believed there may have been up to ten people at the scene. She had also spotted three suspicious white vans near the military base before calling the police.
Iran has denied any involvement, saying in a statement through its embassy in London that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” what it described as “unfounded and malicious speculations” linking Tehran to the suspected plot, adding that such claims would fuel “Iranophobia propaganda” in Britain.
The head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said that police could not divulge details of the investigation but were working “hand in glove with MI5” to address potential threats. Police are investigating whether the attempted terrorist attack may have involved proxies or individuals “either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state”.
Police stressed that the suspects’ release on bail does not mean that the investigation is over. The five men remain subject to stringent restrictions on their movements and contact with others while investigators pursue multiple lines of inquiry.
Newsroom
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