Two suspects in aiding Iranian intelligence rearrested in Britain — CBS News

In the United Kingdom, police have rearrested two men on suspicion of assisting the Iranian intelligence service in a case involving an alleged plot against RAF Fairford air base in western England. The suspects are a 24-year-old British citizen and a 25-year-old man with British and Iranian citizenship, CBS News reports.

Rearrest

Counterterrorism police said the men were detained under the National Security Act. They had previously been detained as part of this investigation but were later released on bail to allow investigative actions to continue.

Five other men who were previously detained in the same case remain free on bail. No one has been charged so far.

Investigation into the incident at the base

Police are investigating an alleged terrorist plot which, according to them, concerned the U.S.-operated RAF Fairford air base on September 27. The base was used this year for bombing Iran during the war.

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During the incident, dozens of residents were evacuated from homes adjacent to the base. Armed police officers and military explosive ordnance disposal specialists arrived in the area. Law enforcement later said they had found gasoline in three vans at the scene of the incident, but there were no explosives there.

Laurence Taylor, head of the UK’s National Counter Terrorism Policing, said investigators were pursuing many lines of inquiry as part of a complex investigation. According to him, police still consider Iranian state involvement highly likely and are determining the level of this possible involvement and the purpose of the plot.

Iranian officials had previously said that bases used to attack Iran would be considered legitimate targets. At the same time, Iran’s embassy in London rejected claims of Tehran’s involvement in the incident. Earlier this month, the U.S. Air Force withdrew all bombers from RAF Fairford following the security incident.