What happened
A 22-year-old British man has been arrested in London on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, in connection with a security incident at RAF Fairford, a US-run military air base in England. This is the seventh arrest made in relation to the incident, with the six previous suspects having been released on bail.
The air base, located 100 miles west of London, has been used by American bombers to strike Iran during the ongoing war. The UK's Counter Terrorism Policing force is investigating the incident, with the senior national coordinator stating that detectives are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry and remain committed to investigating all possible angles.
The incident led to the evacuation of scores of residents from their homes near the base on September 27, as armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts searched the area. A quantity of gasoline was found in three vans linked to the suspects, but no explosives were discovered.
The UK Prime Minister has stated that there are strong indications that Iran was involved in the incident, although the nature of the suspected plot has not been disclosed. Iran has denied involvement, but has previously stated that it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.
The US has since moved its B-52 and B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford, although it is unclear whether this move is connected to the arrests. The US President has stated that the move was made in response to a threat, and that the people behind the threat would be linked to Iran.
