Dual UK-Iranian national arrested over security incident at US-run air
base in England
[October 02, 2026]
By JILL LAWLESS and PAN PYLAS
LONDON (AP) — Police on Thursday arrested a dual U.K.-Iranian national
on suspicion of plotting a terror attack following a security incident
at a U.S.-run military air base in England that British authorities have
linked to Tehran.
The 25-year-old man was arrested in central London on Thursday, and
police have searched two properties in the U.K. capital, Counter
Terrorism Policing said in a statement.
Five men, all British nationals in their 20s and from London, were
arrested in the early hours of Sunday on suspicion of explosives and
terror offenses close to the RAF Fairford air base, which has been used
by American bombers to strike Iran. The suspects have since been
released on bail.
Scores of residents were evacuated from their homes near the base as
armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts swooped on the
rural area. Police later said they had found a quantity of an accelerant
– gasoline – in three vans linked to the five suspects, but no
explosives.
Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counter terrorism
policing, said the investigation “is hugely complex, and our specialist
teams are interrogating multiple lines of inquiry.
“As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles — including
possible foreign state involvement,” she said.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the U.K. sees “strong indications”
that Iran played a part in the incident. He did not provide details
about what the suspects were planning or why the U.K. thinks Iran was
involved.
Iran denies involvement. It has previously said that it considers any
base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.
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RAF Fairford, 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, has been
used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle
East, including this year’s war with Iran.
Top U.S. officials have criticized the decision to grant five
suspects bail, with President Donald Trump saying “I wouldn’t have
done that” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying a lot of people
were “disturbed” by the move.
Trump said Thursday that “I was surprised they were released on
bail."
“I have a lot of respect, however, for Scotland Yard. I think they
know what they’re doing. But I was a little bit surprised,” Trump
said as he left the White House to fly to Texas.
Burnham said authorities have the investigation under “the strongest
grip and the closest control,” and British officials had been
“talking to counterparts in the United States all week to explain
what is happening here, how things are being done.”
The arrests came at a time of heightened tensions around the threat
from hostile states, with British security services saying Russia
and Iran have both used proxies to commit crimes on U.K. soil.
British officials have said the number of national security cases
involving activity by hostile states, including Iran, increased by
50% in the six months to December 2025.
U.K. officials say proxies linked to Iran have been behind a string
of arsons and other attacks in Britain and other countries, many of
them targeting the Jewish community and intended to sow fear. They
have previously warned that Tehran could expand its targets in the
U.K. if conflicts in the Middle East continue.
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