LONDON — The U.S. has withdrawn its bombers stationed at a U.S.-run military air base in England used to strike Iran, as police investigate whether a suspected terror plot at the base is linked to Iran.
Five men were detained shortly after midnight on Sept. 27 on suspected explosives and terrorism offenses after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward RAF Fairford. The Britain-owned base has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including the ongoing Iran war.
A sixth suspect, a British-Iranian dual national, was arrested several days later. All the men have been released on bail. Police earlier said they did not find any explosives in the vans that sparked the security alert. The developments have led to confusion about what exactly happened at the air base.
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British authorities have linked the incident to Tehran. Iran has denied involvement.
Here’s what we know - and don’t know - about the security incident.
6 suspects have been arrested and released on bail
Police said the first five suspects, detained near Fairford, are British nationals from London in their 20s.
It remains unclear why they were released on bail a day after their arrests. Laurence Taylor, the head of U.K. Counter Terrorism Policing, said they face stringent bail conditions and “absolutely remain under investigation.”
The decision drew criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he was surprised and “wouldn’t have” allowed the suspects to be freed.
A sixth suspect, a British-Iranian dual national, was arrested in central London last week on suspicion of plotting a terror attack. Police have not explained why he was also released on bail.
Authorities say Iran is possibly involved
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Britain sees “strong indications” that Iran played a part in the incident.
But he did not provide details about what the suspects were planning, or why Britain thinks Iran was involved.
Taylor, the head of counterterrorism policing, said last week that lines of inquiry include looking into whether the suspected offenses were committed by “proxies or individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state.”
Iran and allied militant groups have been accused of plotting or carrying out attacks on U.S., British and Jewish targets in the past, allegedly acting through local proxies.
RAF Fairford houses the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and is a forward operating location for the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command. The base was used during the 1990 Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq war and the U.S.-Israeli bombardment of Iran this year.
Iran has previously said it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.
Nigel Inkster, a senior adviser at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who formerly worked at the British Secret Intelligence Service, said Iran is known to have hired “low-grade,” untrained proxies to commit crimes in Britain on its behalf. But it’s not clear “what sort of threat these people posed,” he said.
“Was it a homegrown undertaking or one that was sponsored internationally, especially Iran?” he said. “Driving three vans up to an air base with a perimeter doesn’t strike me as a particularly clever way to cause significant damage.”
Iran’s embassy to Britain condemned what it said were “unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets” linking it to the suspected plot.
Questions about possible security or intelligence failures
It remains unclear when security services became aware of the alleged plot or whether any security lapses allowed the suspects to get so close to the base.
Trump earlier praised the British response and suggested that U.S. and British intelligence services had kept the suspects “under view for a long time.”
Some residents told British media they had noticed increased security near Fairford in recent weeks, suggesting authorities may have anticipated an incident. British police, however, said the arrests were triggered by a late-night report of suspicious vehicles near the base.
A farmer who called police said she saw about eight to 10 men, some with their faces covered, run away when they spotted her car. She said several hours passed between her call and the moment police “suddenly decided to evacuate” nearby residents.
On Monday, Burnham told reporters that RAF Fairford was “safe” after a Pentagon official said bombers stationed there had been redeployed to their home bases in the United States.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed any link between the bombers’ departure and the police investigation.
“It’s not unusual to see rotations happen and moving into the different parts of the world based on exercises,” he said.
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