Australia news LIVE: Vigils to mark October 7 attack on Israel; White House defends Trump’s latest controversy

British police arrested a 22-year-old British man in London on Tuesday as part of an investigation into a suspected plot that US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said involved a potential Iranian drone attack on a key air base.

Counter Terrorism Policing said the man was arrested in Westminster on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. He remains in custody.

Six men in their 20s, arrested previously in connection with the investigation, including a dual British-Iranian national arrested on October 1, have been released on bail.

The US officials told Reuters the US decided to remove its B-1 bomber aircraft from the base, RAF Fairford, over concerns about a suspected Iranian plot to carry out a complex drone attack on the facility.

While B-1 bombers are not permanently stationed there, RAF Fairford is the preferred European base for US bombers and has been used in strikes on Iran during the ongoing war, launched at the end of February.

Iran has denied any involvement in any alleged plot.

Reuters

The White House has clarified Donald Trump’s comments at a rally on Monday night (US time), explaining that the president was not insinuating that he wanted Iran to attack US cities but instead wanted to prevent Tehran from having that capability.

Trump was discussing the Iran war and the resulting high petrol prices that have become a midterm liability for Republicans during remarks in Nebraska when he mentioned the possibility of an Iranian attack on US soil.

“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,” he said of the war and its economic fallout. “They can take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay.”

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on social media that the president’s comments had been misunderstood and misrepresented in a “media freakout” that was “not rooted in reality”.

The commentary, including Trump’s casual mention of the two California cities, was delivered in the familiar meandering style that he uses at campaign rallies, when he speaks for extended periods – often an hour or more – and is only occasionally following prepared remarks on a teleprompter.

Critics, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, seized on his statements. The Democrat, who could run for president in 2028, called Trump “deranged and dangerous” for, in Newsom’s framing, “saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego”.

Cheung, in his response, said it was obvious that Trump was not calling for such an attack.

“The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality,” he said. “He was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer because of the president.”

Cheung added that Iran “has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money”.

AP

Hello and welcome to our national news live coverage for Wednesday, October 7. Here’s what is making headlines:

• Vigils across Australian capital cities will mark the third anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1200 and took 250 hostages, sparking a devastating war in Gaza that brought on a humanitarian crisis. A vigil will be held at Bondi Beach, where 15 people were killed in a terror attack targeting the Jewish community in December, while pro-Palestine vigils are also expected to occur.
• A rally over the cost of housing has turned into violent on Spanish streets after masked demonstrators turned on police and set fire to cars and rubbish bins, one day after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a snap election amid widening unrest. Protesters confronted police and lit fires in Barcelona after 20,000 people gathered for a largely peaceful demonstration over the cost of housing, seen as a dominant issue for the November 29 parliamentary election.
• Alex de Minaur’s bid to win a maiden Beijing title has ended suddenly – and in heartbreak – retiring one game into the second set of the final against Novak Djokovic with a groin injury. De Minaur began the second set with strapping on his left leg, and was visibly struggling before crossing the net to end the contest while trailing 7-6 (7-3), 0-1. It was a shattering end to de Minaur’s week after a welcome return to form amid an up-and-down season.