5 men released on police bail after RAF Fairford arrests

Five men arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire have been released on police bail as an investigation into a security incident at the UK military base continues.

Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor said the men were released following “extensive interviews and inquiries.”

He stressed that the five men “absolutely remain under investigation” and are subject to “stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others.”

The men were initially arrested on suspicion of explosives offenses and were later arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, Taylor said.

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arrests.

The three vehicles in which the men had been traveling have undergone “extensive examination” with support from military and forensic experts, according to Taylor.

A 400-meter cordon remains in place outside Whelford, a village next to RAF Fairford, while a significant police presence also remains at the airbase’s main entrance.

Counter-terrorism police hope to reduce their presence at the scene later Monday and allow residents to return to their homes, Taylor said.

Foreign-state links being considered

The latest developments come amid heightened security around RAF Fairford. Britain said in July that its armed forces were prepared to defend the country against any attack after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned against allowing US bombers to operate from Fairford.

RAF Fairford has been used since February to support operations against Iran amid the wider Middle East conflict.

Taylor said police were keeping an “open mind” about whether the wider geopolitical context was relevant to the investigation.

“We are considering this from every angle,” he said, including whether the incident was “committed by proxies or individuals… working on behalf of a foreign state.”

Earlier, Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said UK military bases in Britain and overseas were potential targets for state-backed actors and terrorists.

He declined to provide further details about the operation, saying this could give Britain’s enemies and opponents “valuable insight.”

Streeting also said it was “unwise” to comment on the motivations or backgrounds of those arrested.

Iran, on the other hand, rejected suggestions that it was linked to the arrests at the airbase, according to a statement from the Iranian Embassy in London.

“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to the arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base,” it said.