Iran denies involvement in suspected plot targeting British airbase

Fairford, United Kingdom. Iran denied involvement on Monday in a suspected plot to attack RAF Fairford, a British airbase used by the United States to strike Iranian sites. Police said five men arrested over explosives and terrorism offences were British nationals.

Arrests and investigation

British police arrested the five men early on Sunday after being alerted to three white vans driving towards the base, which houses US bombers that fly missions against Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in July that the base was a legitimate target.

Police said the detained men were from London and in their early 20s. Investigators were working to establish a motive and had developed multiple new lines of inquiry after examining the scene overnight.

A source familiar with the investigation said an Iranian-linked motive was considered the most likely, while a Russian sabotage operation and an Islamist plot were also being examined.

Iranian denial and questions over surveillance

Iran’s embassy in London said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations”, which it said would fuel “Iranophobia propaganda” in Britain.

Counter Terrorism Policing Senior National Coordinator Vicki Evans acknowledged speculation about the motive and broader geopolitical questions, but asked that police be given “the space to work carefully and clearly”.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the suspects had been looking to do “big damage” and had been under investigation by British and US authorities. British media raised doubts about the extent of that surveillance, given how close the men had come to the base.

The source familiar with the investigation said the arrests were not “intelligence-led”, although security at the base had been heightened, suggesting authorities were aware of an increased threat.