A seventh man has been arrested in London on suspicion of terrorism offences as part of the investigation related to threats to RAF Fairford, police have said.
The 22-year-old British national was arrested in Westminster, central London, on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, counter-terrorism police said.
Police are continuing to investigate a so far unexplained incident on 27 September, when five men from London driving three white vans were arrested in the small hours in a village outside the Gloucestershire airbase used by bombers from the US air force.
A week later, on Sunday, the US decided to hastily withdraw all 12 of the B-1 Lancer bombers that had been based at Fairford back to the US. Some had only arrived at the base a week earlier, and refuelling aircraft had to be scrambled in order to complete the evacuation.
There remains speculation that Iran wants to target the base, which was used for US bombing runs on the country earlier this year, but the US and UK appear to have divergent views about the security situation and level of threat.
UK sources question whether Iran would have the capability to launch a Ukraine-style drone attack on military aircraft at the base, given the complexity of such an operation. On Monday, Downing Street said the base was safe.
But some reports suggested the US feared a drone strike along the lines of Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb attack on Russian airbases last year, and so did not want to leave its bombers stationed at Fairford.
On Monday night Donald Trump, the US president, said the aircraft had been moved because “there were some threats, and rather than tempting the enemy – we’ll capture the enemy and beat the enemy, but why should we leave them there?”
So far there has been no breakthrough in the investigation by counter-terror police. The five men detained in Whelford on 27 September were released on police bail a day later, without charge.
No explosive devices were found in their vans, though a barrel of petrol was recovered. One of the five had also called 999, and their intentions remain publicly unexplained.
On Thursday, a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national was arrested in Westminster on suspicion of terrorism offences. He was also released on bail on Saturday.
Speaking on Tuesday, the senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, Vicki Evans, said: “This remains a live investigation and our specialist teams continue to pursue multiple lines of inquiry into the circumstances surrounding events near RAF Fairford.
“Once again, I’d like to thank the public for their continued support and patience whilst we work through this highly complex investigation.
“We’re acutely aware of the public interest in this investigation, and we are working around the clock, and at pace, to identify the motivation behind events in Gloucestershire. We remain committed to investigating all possible angles.”
The 22-year-old is being held under rules that allow detectives to bail him, just like the other six men who have been arrested on a terrorism charge.
People arrested for terrorism offences can be held under two legal schedules which dictate how long they can be detained without charge. Under the terrorism schedule a suspect can be held for up to 14 days, but cannot be bailed, meaning police have a fortnight to charge or release them.
The 22-year-old arrested for alleged preparatory acts is being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, a spokesperson for counter-terrorism police said on Tuesday. That means he could be released under investigation on bail, but detectives have much less time to hold him.
The five men arrested close to RAF Fairford were held under the same act before being bailed the next day, to the surprise of some.
Tensions have been high at RAF Fairford since Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in July that the base was a legitimate target. Iran’s embassy in London has denied any involvement in the events of the past few days.
Ministers have been briefed that Iran has various reasons for hiring proxies, who sometimes are unwitting, to carry out acts that aim to eat up resources and create chaos.
The Iranian embassy in London has said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations” of Iranian involvement.
Senior US politicians, including the president, Donald Trump, have expressed surprise that the suspects were released on bail.
Counter-terrorism police last week defended the move. “I understand why this development will have come as a surprise to many, but I’d like to reiterate that it was an investigative decision, and one which is grounded in experience and careful consideration of policing powers,” Britain’s head of counter-terrorism police said.
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