Sixth man arrested over suspected RAF Fairford terror plot bailed

A sixth man who was arrested in connection with a suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford has been released on bail, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said.

The 25-year-old man, a dual UK-Iranian national, was arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

He was arrested on Thursday in the Borough of Westminster, London, where searches of two properties have now concluded.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, CTP added.

It comes after five British nationals, all in their mid-20s, were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism and then bailed.

Three suspicious vans were spotted near the military site in Gloucestershire last weekend.

Senior CTP national co-ordinator Vicki Evans previously said the investigation is “hugely complex”, adding specialist teams are “interrogating multiple lines of inquiry”.

She added: “As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles – including possible foreign state involvement.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there were “strong indications” Iran played a part in the incident near the Gloucestershire military base.

RAF Fairford has been used in recent months by US bombers after former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer granted the US permission to use British bases for “defensive” strikes against Tehran during the Middle East war.

Counter-terror police have said a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices were found in the vans that sparked the security alert near the airbase.

On Thursday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Israel handed Britain intelligence about the suspected terror plot.

Mr Netanyahu said his country warned UK authorities about the “Iranian-sponsored attack” shortly before Britain’s announcement of a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Asked about the “recent scare in Britain”, Mr Netanyahu told US broadcaster Fox News the situation was “wild” and “absurd”.

The prime minister of Israel added on the Hannity programme: “You talked about the thing in Britain. Do you want to hear how absurd things are there? And how far the anti-Israeli propaganda has gone?

“We gave the Brits the intel, that there was going to be an attack, and it’s an Iranian-sponsored attack, and pretty much the next day they slap sanctions on us.

“It’s wild, the caving in, the collapse before the Islamist-Marxist alliance is very dangerous for the future of the West.”