Home · World · Oct 20 archive
Two men re-arrested for suspected spying for Iran in air base scare: UK police
· Confirmed
In Short: UK police re-arrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service over a security scare at a U.S.-run airbase in England, according to reports from AFP, Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), and Insider Paper.
The men, a 24-year-old British citizen and a 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national, were initially arrested outside RAF Fairford in southwest England in the early hours of September 27, as reported by AFP, Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), and Insider Paper.
The BBC (United Kingdom) and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that the investigation is linked to Iran, with Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of counter-terror policing, saying specialist teams have been working to interrogate the many lines of enquiry involved in the investigation.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that the United States abruptly withdrew all its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford earlier this month after the incident on September 27.
According to Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) and The Seattle Times, the 25-year-old dual national was subsequently arrested on October 1 in London, while the 24-year-old British national was re-arrested on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that the men, all British citizens in their early 20s from London, were freed on bail more than a day after they were detained.
The Seattle Times and Press Telegram reported that the investigation remains very much a live investigation, with evidence gathering continuing.
Despite some differences in reporting, all outlets agree that two men were re-arrested on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service over a security scare at a U.S.-run airbase in England, and that the investigation remains ongoing.
What's confirmed
- UK police said Tuesday they have re-arrested two men on suspicion of spying for Iran, amid an investigation into a security scare at a British airbase used by the United States.
- Counter-terrorism police said a 24-year-old British citizen and a 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national, both from London, were arrested "on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service" over last month's incident at the Fairford base in southwest England.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Iran's Revolutionary Guards "almost certainly directed" the major scare, which remained shrouded in mystery and speculation.
- Police were called to the base in the middle of the night after a local farmer reported a group of men with several white vans engaged in "suspicious" activity.
- The investigation is linked to Iran, officials said.
- October 20, 2026 / 1:17 PM EDT / CBS/AP British police said Tuesday they have rearrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service over the suspected plot at a U.S.-run air base in England last month.
- LONDON: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford air base in Britain was “highly likely” to have been coordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- LONDON — Iran is trying to hit military sites in Britain, and the suspected plot to attack a U.S.-run military air base in September is “not unique,” the head of the MI5 spy agency said Tuesday, as he warned that both Tehran and Moscow are expanding their attacks against the U.K. Ken McCallum, who leads the U.K.’s domestic security service, said Tehran is seeking to intensify its attacks in Britain beyond the traditional targets of Iranians opposed to the country’s Islamic authorities.
- "But at this time our position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement."
- Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of counter-terror policing, said in Tuesday's update that specialist teams had been "working tirelessly to interrogate the many lines of enquiry involved in this hugely complex investigation".
- Taylor said investigators were continuing to examine the extent of Iran's possible involvement "and the ambition behind it".
- He added it remained "very much a live investigation, and our evidence gathering continues".
What's still developing
- The United States removed all its B-1 bombers from Britain's RAF Fairford air base, a decision stemming from security concerns over suspected terror plots against the facility, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US officials.
- Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos and national security reporter Michael Weiss take on the attempted hijacking of a flight bound for Tel Aviv, a suspected plot targeting an air base in Britain, and the troubling signs that Iran may be taking its fight abroad.
- LONDON — There are strong indications Tehran played a part in a security incident outside a British air base that U.S. forces use to facilitate strikes on Iran, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday.
- “Helen has been our friend for more than 20 years and what happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable,” the father said.
- Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans described the charges as "extremely serious" and said the force will be "relentless" in its pursuit of anyone threatening the safety of the public.
- Foreign Policy, 1099 14th St NW, Suite 500 East, Washington, D.C., 20005.
- The arrest is the seventh in connection with a suspected plot against RAF Fairford, located 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, which has been used by American planes to strike Iran during this year’s war.
- Addressing the House of Commons, Burnham said the events at the airbase in Gloucestershire late last month were "almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards," marking his strongest public assessment yet of Iranian involvement.
- The New York Times, citing two anonymous U.S. officials, reported all 12 B-1 bombers were withdrawn rapidly after new warnings of a suspected Iran-backed plot.