U.K. Arrests Dual National in Probe of Security Incident at U.S.-Used Air Base

LONDON, Oct. 1 (TodayViralUSA) — British counterterrorism police on Thursday arrested a dual U.K.-Iranian national on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts linked to a security incident at RAF Fairford, a U.S.-used air base in England that has supported American bomber operations against Iran, the Associated Press and Counter Terrorism Policing said.

The 27-year-old man was arrested in central London. Officers searched two properties in the capital, police said. A 26-year-old British national was interviewed under caution, meaning the interview was recorded and could be used in later proceedings.

The new arrest follows the detention early Sunday of five British men in their 20s from London near the Gloucestershire base. Those five were held on suspicion of explosives and terror offenses and have since been released on bail. Police said they found accelerant — gasoline — in three vans linked to the group, but no explosives. Residents near the base were evacuated as armed officers and army bomb-disposal specialists responded.

Iran link disputed

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the United Kingdom sees “strong indications” that Iran played a part in the weekend incident, while stressing that the investigation remains complex and ongoing and that British authorities are coordinating with the United States. He did not publicly detail the evidence behind that assessment.

Iran has denied involvement. The Iranian Embassy in London said in a statement that Tehran “categorically rejects” what it called unfounded speculation tying Iran to the episode, according to CBS News reporting of the embassy’s remarks.

RAF Fairford, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, has long hosted U.S. bombers in Middle East conflicts. Axios reported that Britain earlier this year allowed the United States to use the base for limited defensive strikes against Iranian missile capabilities. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in July that U.S. B-1 bombers flew from Fairford and that bases used for attacks on Iranian territory would be considered legitimate targets, Axios said.

Hostile-state threat

Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans described the Gloucestershire investigation as “hugely complex,” with specialists examining multiple lines of inquiry, including possible foreign-state involvement.

The case lands amid heightened British concern about hostile-state activity. Security services have said Russia and Iran have used proxies to commit crimes on U.K. soil, and British officials reported a 50 percent increase in national security cases involving hostile-state activity, including Iran, in the six months to December 2025, according to AP.

U.S. officials criticized the decision to bail the five men arrested Sunday. President Donald Trump said he “wouldn’t have done that,” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said many people were “disturbed” by the move, AP reported. British authorities have not charged anyone in connection with the Fairford incident as of the latest police updates.

Investigators have not publicly described a completed attack plan. For now, the Thursday arrest expands a probe that already mixes domestic counterterrorism work, alliance politics and disputed allegations of Iranian direction — all against the backdrop of an ongoing U.S.-Iran war that has made Fairford operationally relevant again.

Update: October 5, 2026

The U.S. military has pulled all of its bombers out of RAF Fairford, the Pentagon confirmed on Sunday, as British counterterrorism police continue to investigate the security incident near the Gloucestershire base. The aircraft, believed to number about a dozen B-1s, flew back to their home stations in the United States, according to the BBC.

In a statement reported by Politico, the Pentagon said operational security had prevented it from confirming the movement in real time, and that all U.S. bombers that had been deployed to Fairford had redeployed to the United States. The statement did not say when the aircraft left or why, but stressed that the bomber force remained ready to carry out missions worldwide, including flights launched from and recovered to the continental United States.

The New York Times, citing two U.S. officials, reported that U.S. commanders had received new threat information about an Iran-backed plot against the base, the BBC said. The officials described the information as part of the same threat warnings received about three weeks earlier, with the decision to move quickly coming after more specific details emerged within the previous 24 hours.

The BBC said it had been told the withdrawal was a military decision taken at an operational level and communicated by the U.S. military to British counterparts. Whitehall sources did not dispute that it was linked to the Fairford incident, while Britain’s Ministry of Defence did not comment.

The dual U.K.-Iranian national arrested in London on Thursday has since been released on bail, counterterrorism police said on Saturday, according to the BBC. The five men detained near the base on Sept. 27 also remain on bail. No one has been charged, and Iran continues to deny any involvement.

Update: October 5, 2026

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States moved its bombers out of RAF Fairford because of threats to the base. “Yeah, I think we can say that. They didn’t fly out by accident,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for Nebraska, according to ITV News. He said the aircraft had been moved “not very far” and that U.S. officials knew who had made the threat, but he declined to describe its nature.

ITV News, citing a source familiar with the investigation, reported that Washington had been concerned about a potential attack on the base involving multiple drones. Asked whether Iran had already brought combat drones into Britain, Trump said he could not say, but warned that if it had, it would “suffer greatly.” The New York Times also reported that a potential Iranian drone attack lay behind the departure.

Vice President JD Vance said the Air Force removed the bombers “out of an abundance of caution” and that U.S. officials believed with some confidence that Iran was continuing what he described as decades of terrorism against the United States. A NATO military source told Reuters on Monday that Iran was still believed to pose an acute threat to U.S. assets in Britain. The British government has said the base is safe, and Tehran has denied involvement.