UK re-arrests two men over suspected Iran-linked plot near RAF Fairford

LONDON — Two men have been re-arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service in connection with an incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said on Tuesday, 20 October 2026.

The two men are a 24-year-old UK national and a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national, both from the borough of Westminster, London, according to CTP. Both were re-arrested under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023. CTP said the country to which the investigation relates is Iran.

CTP said it was "highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement" in the incident, which took place close to the airbase on 27 September. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said investigators were examining "what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it." He said the investigation was "very much a live investigation."

Seven men have now been arrested in connection with the inquiry, according to Taylor. The 24-year-old was first arrested near RAF Fairford on 27 September, and the 25-year-old was first arrested in Westminster on 1 October. The other five men remain on police bail.

Three suspicious vans were stopped near the airbase on 27 September. Police found no explosive materials but seized a quantity of petrol, according to the Mirror.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said earlier this month that it was "almost certainly" directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Mirror reported. In a statement to MPs, he said the assessment was that the incident was "highly likely to have been co-ordinated in Iran." He said: "We will not tolerate these threats on our soil."

A joint statement released by the US State Department and endorsed by more than 20 countries condemned Iran for actions including "lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyber-attacks" around the world, the Mirror reported. The statement did not refer specifically to Fairford in the portion reported.

It is not clear from the source material whether any charges have been brought against the men. Police have not said when they will share more details. Taylor said police would be "as transparent as possible" when they were in a position to do so. The source material does not explain the motive, the exact nature of the planned attack, or what the men are alleged to have done.

Background

RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire. According to the Mirror, US bombers used the base, and they have since been removed following the incident. The Prime Minister has said further sanctions will be brought to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to harm the UK.

The Mirror reported the incident as a suspected terror plot. The source material does not contain police confirmation of the exact nature of the incident beyond CTP's statement that Iranian state involvement is highly likely.

A Telegram post from Al Arabiya carried the same report in Arabic, with a headline describing the re-arrests as linked to the RAF Fairford incident. That post is a social media post and is unverified; its content matches the CTP statement as reported by the Mirror.