Two men who were arrested and later released during an investigation into a suspected terror plot near a British air base used by U.S. bombers are back in custody on suspicion of working for Iran’s intelligence service.
Police said it was “highly likely” that Iran was involved in the Sept. 27 incident at RAF Fairford, located about 90 miles west of London.
Taken into custody on Tuesday were a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national. They were charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service under Britain’s National Security Act, officials said.
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The two men were arrested soon after the suspected terror plot but later released on bail pending additional investigative work, officials said.
RAF Fairford was used as a forward operating base for U.S. bomber strikes on Iran.
Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, said detectives are continuing to investigate the incident.
“Our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same: We consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement,” he said in a statement. “Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it.”
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