British police arrested a 22-year-old man in London on Tuesday on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts in connection with a security incident at RAF Fairford, a US-run military air base located 100 miles west of London. The arrest marks the seventh in relation to the suspected plot, which authorities have linked to Iran. The suspect, a British national, was detained in the Westminster area of central London, according to Counter Terrorism Policing. Six other men arrested in connection with the incident have been released on bail under investigation.
The security incident occurred on September 27, when scores of residents were evacuated from homes near the base as armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts responded to the rural area. Police subsequently reported finding gasoline in three vans linked to five suspects, but no explosives were discovered. Five British men in their 20s were initially detained near the base perimeter in the early hours of September 27, and a 25-year-old British Iranian man was arrested in London on Thursday.
Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, said detectives "continue to pursue multiple lines of enquiry" and "remain committed to investigating all possible angles." She added that investigators were working "around the clock, and at pace, to identify the motivation behind events in Gloucestershire." However, police have released few details about the nature of the suspected plot or the full scope of the investigation.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that the country sees "strong indications" that Iran played a part in the incident but declined to disclose specific details or clarify the nature of the suspected plot. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity and without authorization to comment publicly, told reporters that the Trump administration believed the intention was to kill American troops and destroy US planes, though the official could not speak to the nature of the potential attack. Iran has denied involvement in the incident but has previously stated that it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.
RAF Fairford has been used by American B-1 and B-52 bombers during the US-led military campaign against Iran this year. The British government authorized the US military to use the facility for what it characterized as defensive strikes on Iranian missiles and launch sites following Iranian attacks on UK interests and British allies in the Gulf region. The United States moved its B-52 and B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford on Sunday, with the Pentagon stating that all American bombers at the facility have been redeployed to their home bases in the US.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he did not want to tempt "the enemy" by keeping the bombers at the base. "We had a threat, and if we're going to be threatened, we would just move them, and that sort of alleviates that," Trump said in Washington. He stated that the people who made the threat "would be linked to Iran" but did not provide additional details. British officials have declined to comment on reports that the bombers were relocated due to fears of a drone attack, though the prime minister's spokesman, Tom Wells, asserted that RAF Fairford remains secure.
The incident occurred amid broader concerns about hostile-state activity in the UK. British security services have reported that both Russia and Iran have used proxies to commit crimes on British soil. According to UK officials, the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states, including Iran, increased by 50 percent in the six months to December 2025. Officials have also noted that proxies linked to Iran have been behind a series of arsons and other attacks in the UK and other countries, many targeting the Jewish community.
