UK-Iranian dual national arrested in investigation near RAF Fairford

Counter-terrorism police have arrested a 27-year-old dual UK-Iranian national in connection with an investigation into a suspected plot near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The man was arrested in Westminster on Thursday on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. Police said a second man, aged 26 and a UK national, had been questioned under caution.

The investigation began after police were alerted to suspicious vans near the RAF base in the early hours of Sunday. Five men in their 20s were arrested in the village of Whelford, outside the base, and later released on police bail. Counter-terrorism police said searches had been carried out at two properties in Westminster, London.

No further details about the searches were provided in the supplied material. Vicki Evans, the senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said detectives were examining all possible lines of inquiry, including possible involvement by a foreign state. She described the investigation as highly complex.

Police have not announced charges against the newly arrested man. The source material also does not identify the suspected objective of the alleged plot or provide details of any material recovered during the searches. The arrest under the Terrorism Act marks a new development in the investigation, but the earlier arrests did not result in charges at the time covered by the report.

The five men from Whelford remain on police bail, while the second man was questioned under caution rather than arrested, according to police. Counter-terrorism teams are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the events in Gloucestershire. Evans said specialist officers were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry.