UK police re-arrest two men on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence

The duo was first arrested for a suspected link to an incident at a US-run airbase used for striking Iran during this year’s war.

A Rockwell B1 Lancer heavy bomber departs for home at RAF Fairford, on October 04, 2026 after UK police declared a major incident following a call about three 'suspicious' vehicles in the area [File: David Bown/Getty Images]

Police in the United Kingdom have re-arrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service after an incident at a United States-run airbase in England last month.

Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK said the men, a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national, were arrested under the National Security Act.

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One of the suspects was first arrested on September 27, when the suspected plot against RAF Fairford took place. The airbase in Gloucestershire in western England has been used to launch strikes on Iran during this year’s war.

The second suspect was first arrested on October 1. Until Tuesday, the men had been released on bail pending more investigation.

UK police declared a major incident at RAF Fairford and arrested several men on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act in September [File: Toby Shepheard/Reuters]

Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, said the investigation was “hugely complex” and that detectives were looking at “many lines of enquiry”.

“This is very much a live investigation,” Taylor said in a statement, adding: “We consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement.”

“Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it,” he added.

British police declared a major incident in the area around RAF Fairford after a member of the public reported seeing three “suspicious” vans driving near the base.

Residents were forced to leave their homes as armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts swarmed the rural area.

Police later said they had found a quantity of an accelerant – petrol – in three vans at the site, but no explosives.

The incident prompted the US to pull its bombers out of RAF Fairford, while British authorities blamed Iran.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the apparent plot was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Ken McCallum, the UK’s domestic intelligence spy chief, warned that Iran and Russia were expanding attacks against military bases in the UK, adding that the RAF Fairford incident was not unique.

In all, more than 50 people have been arrested over Iran-linked plots in the past year, McCallum said.

Iran has denied involvement, although it has previously said that it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.

Five other men in their 20s were arrested earlier then released on bail pending further investigation. No one has yet been charged.

两人最初因涉嫌与今年战争期间美国运营的用于打击伊朗的空军基地发生的一起事件有关而被捕。

2026年10月4日，一架洛克威尔B1“枪骑兵”重型轰炸机从英国皇家空军费尔福德基地起飞返航。此前，英国警方接到报警称该地区有三辆“可疑”车辆，随后宣布发生重大事件。[图片：David Bown/Getty Images]

英国警方再次逮捕了两名男子，他们涉嫌协助伊朗情报部门，此前上个月在英国一处由美国运营的空军基地发生了一起事件。

英国反恐警察部门表示，这两名男子，一名 24 岁的英国公民和一名 25 岁的英伊双重国籍公民，是根据《国家安全法》被捕的。

英国警方逮捕了一名与费尔福德皇家空军基地事件有关的英国公民，名单共3条，此为第1条。

英国警方指控皇家海军成员与外国势力勾结，名单共3条，此为第2条。

列表 3/3：两名拉脱维亚男子因违反英国军事基地规定在英国军事基地内被捕

其中一名嫌疑人于9月27日首次被捕，当天正是针对英国皇家空军费尔福德基地的袭击阴谋发生之时。该空军基地位于英格兰西部格洛斯特郡，在今年的战争中曾被用于对伊朗发动空袭。

第二名嫌疑人于10月1日首次被捕。直到周二，两人都已获保释，等待进一步调查。

英国警方宣布费尔福德皇家空军基地发生重大事件，并于9月逮捕了数名涉嫌违反《爆炸物法》的男子。[图片：Toby Shepheard/路透社]

英国国家反恐警察部门负责人劳伦斯·泰勒表示，调查“极其复杂”，侦探们正在调查“许多线索”。

泰勒在一份声明中表示：“这是一项仍在进行的调查。”他补充说：“我们认为伊朗政府极有可能参与其中。”

“我们的调查人员正在继续调查这种参与程度以及背后的动机，”他补充道。

英国警方宣布，在一名公众人士报告称看到三辆“可疑”货车在费尔福德皇家空军基地附近行驶后，该地区发生了一起重大事件。

由于武装警察和军队拆弹专家涌入农村地区，居民被迫离开家园。

警方后来表示，他们在现场的三辆货车中发现了一定数量的助燃剂（汽油），但没有发现爆炸物。

该事件促使美国将其轰炸机撤出费尔福德皇家空军基地，而英国当局则将责任归咎于伊朗。

英国首相安迪·伯纳姆表示，这起明显的阴谋“几乎可以肯定”是由伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）策划的。

英国国内情报局局长肯·麦卡勒姆警告说，伊朗和俄罗斯正在扩大对英国军事基地的袭击，并补充说，费尔福德皇家空军基地事件并非个例。

麦卡勒姆表示，过去一年里，共有 50 多人因与伊朗有关的阴谋而被捕。

伊朗否认参与此事，尽管伊朗此前曾表示，任何用于攻击其领土的基地都是合法目标。

此前另有五名二十多岁的男子被捕，后获准保释，等待进一步调查。目前尚无人被起诉。