British counter-terrorism police have re-arrested two men accused of assisting Iranian intelligence, following an incident last month at the US-operated RAF Fairford air base in England, according to authorities.
According to the UK Counter Terrorism Policing unit, the two suspects are a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national, arrested under the National Security Act.
One of the two suspects was first arrested on September 27, when a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford emerged. The base, located in Gloucestershire in western England, was used to launch airstrikes on Iran during this year's war. The second suspect was first arrested on October 1. Before their re-arrest, both had been released on bail pending further investigation.
Laurence Taylor, head of the UK's national counter-terrorism policing, said the investigation was "extremely complex" and that detectives were pursuing "multiple lines of inquiry."
"This is a live and ongoing investigation," Taylor said in a statement, adding that "there is a very real possibility of Iranian state involvement." He added: "Our investigators are continuing to establish the extent of that involvement and the ambition behind it."
Major incident at the base
British police declared a major incident in the area around RAF Fairford after a member of the public reported seeing three "suspicious" vans moving near the base. Residents were forced to leave their homes as armed police and military bomb disposal experts were deployed to the rural area.
Police later said they had found an incendiary substance — petrol — in the three vans at the scene, but no explosives. The incident prompted the US to withdraw its bomber aircraft from RAF Fairford, while British officials accused Iran of being behind it. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously said the suspected plot was "almost certainly" directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Not an isolated case
Ken McCallum, head of the UK's domestic intelligence agency, warned that Iran and Russia are expanding attacks targeting military bases in Britain, and said the RAF Fairford incident was not an isolated case. According to McCallum, more than 50 people have been arrested over the past year in connection with plots bearing Iran's hallmarks.
Iran denies any involvement, though it has previously stated that any base used to attack its territory is a legitimate target. Earlier, five other men in their 20s were also arrested and then released on bail pending further investigation. No one has yet been charged.
