British police arrest man linked to suspected terror plot against RAF Fairford
by Mike Glenn · The Washington TimesBritish authorities apprehended a 22-year-old man in London in connection with the suspected terror attack on RAF Fairford last month, Counter Terrorism Policing announced Tuesday.
Police said the man, who was not identified, was arrested in Westminster and that officers conducted a search of a nearby property.
The man remains in custody, according to authorities, though it’s unclear if he has been charged.
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The arrest brings the number of people detained in connection with the alleged plot up to seven. Police initially arrested five men, all British nationals, under suspicion of planning the attack on the air base, but later released them on bail.
Another British-Iranian national was arrested in connection with the incident last week and also released on bail.
British authorities have insisted the investigation remains ongoing and that all of the suspects who have been released are under heavy surveillance and movement restrictions.
“This remains a live investigation, and our specialist teams continue to pursue multiple lines of enquiry into the circumstances surrounding events near RAF Fairford,” Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans said in a statement Tuesday.
Still, it remains unclear why the men were released on bail, and British authorities have not released any hard evidence that links the publicly unidentified suspects to a terror plot on RAF Fairford.
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Last week, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said authorities see “strong indications” that Iran played a role in the incident, though he didn’t add specifics. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has denied any involvement in planning a terror attack on the base.
The U.S. has used RAF Fairford to stage long-range bombing raids against Iran for months, and Iranian security officials have said that any base used to launch attacks would be considered a legitimate target.
The threat of further attacks at the base was enough for the Pentagon to order the redeployment of its B-1 Air Force bombers over the weekend. All 12 hosted by RAF Fairford were recalled to their home bases in the U.S.
Vice President J.D. Vance said Monday that the planes were moved “out of an abundance of caution” to protect U.S. service members.
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