British counter-terrorism police arrested a 25-year-old British-Iranian dual national in London on Thursday on suspicion of "preparation of terrorist acts" in connection with a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford, the air base US B-1 bombers have been using for strikes against Iran. He is the sixth person arrested in the probe, and the first with reported Iranian nationality — a development that landed hours after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are "strong indications" that Iran played a part in the incident.
Counter Terrorism Policing said the man was arrested in the borough of Westminster and that officers searched two properties in the area. Police initially described him as 27 before correcting his age to 25.
The arrests that opened the case came early Sunday, when five British men aged 23 to 25, all from the London area, were detained near the perimeter of RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, about 100 miles west of London. Police examined three white vans and found no explosives — but, according to senior counter-terrorism officers, "a quantity of petrol" was recovered. All five were released on bail on Monday, which the prime minister described as "the strictest possible bail conditions," and police confirmed Thursday they remain on bail while the investigation continues. British media reported that one suspect called the emergency number 999 almost an hour before a farmer alerted authorities to masked men and the vans — though police say officers were already at the scene when the farmer called, and are examining whether the call was a change of heart or part of the plan.
A public accusation against Iran
The Iranian-role claim came from the top of the British government. Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, Burnham said: "There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation." He added, "we can confirm our belief that we believe Iran to have played a part," and said he would not make the claim lightly, noting that Britain is working "closely" with the United States on the investigation.
Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, called the investigation "hugely complex" and said officers are examining "all possible angles — including possible foreign state involvement." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Wednesday that Israel had passed Britain intelligence "that there was going to be an attack, and it's an Iranian-sponsored attack," without detailing the intelligence — a claim attributed to him alone.
US officials have echoed the foreign-actor framing. President Donald Trump said the suspects "might be" connected to Iran and criticized the decision to grant bail, saying "I wouldn't have done that" — criticism he repeated on Thursday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the suspected plot "clearly involved the hands of a foreign actor." The bail decision has become a point of transatlantic friction: counter-terrorism chief Laurence Taylor defended it as grounded in "experience and strategy," and the prime minister said British officials had been "talking to counterparts in the United States all week to explain what is happening here."
Iran has denied any role. The Iranian embassy in London said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" what it called "unfounded and malicious" speculation of Iranian involvement; Tehran summoned the British ambassador, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Britain was "barking up the wrong tree." Iran has previously said it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.
A base at the center of the Iran war
RAF Fairford's prominence in the story comes from its wartime role. The base is used by the US military, and both the AP and CNN reported that US bombers — including B-1s — have been flying missions against Iran from there during this year's war. The Press Association reported that former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer had granted the US permission to use British bases for "defensive" strikes against Tehran during the Middle East war.
No charge has been filed against any of the six. Under UK counter-terrorism law, suspects can be held for up to 14 days before charge — and legal experts cited by CNN noted that bail is rarely granted where there are serious grounds to suspect terrorism offenses, making the Monday release itself a subject of scrutiny. Whether the "strong indications" harden into evidence — and whether a suspected plot against a base actively bombing Iran widens the UK's role in the conflict — now depends on the investigation Burnham called "complex and serious."
