Five arrested over UK airbase incident being released on bail: police

Five arrested over UK airbase incident being published on bail: police.

Key points

• In Fairford, police have imposed a 400-metre cordon around the base and evacuated residents from 85 homes.
• "Following extensive interviews and inquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon, " Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor remarked to journalists.
• Defence minister Wes Streeting informed BBC News on Monday that he would not speculate concerning motives of a live investigation.
• US President Donald Trump remarked the suspects had been looking to do "big damage" and had been under investigation by British and US authorities.
• The Iranian embassy in London remarked it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" speculation that Tehran was involved in the bomb scare.

Five arrested over UK airbase incident being published on bail: police. ReutersAFP Published September 28, 2026 Updated September 28, 2026 08: 00pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Five men arrested over a suspected bomb plot at a British airbase applied by the United States are being issued on bail, the head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing noted on Monday.

"To be particularly clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others, " he continued.

In practice, the men are all UK nationals aged in their mid-20s, the counter-terror police remarked earlier today.

In practice, the five – a 25-year-old, three men aged 24 and a 23-year-old – all based in London, have been detained since Sunday on suspicion of offences including "preparation of a terrorist act" under UK anti-terrorism laws, according to police. They were questioned by the police on Monday.

Officers detained the group in the early hours of Sunday after they received a tip-off that three sizeable white vans had been seen heading to the military airfield of RAF Fairford in the west of England.

Nevertheless, a local farmer stated she had tipped off police after seeing a group of "hooded and masked men" running into the fields.

While a Russian sabotage operation or a terrorism plot were additionally being looked at as possibilities, british counterterrorism detectives have publicly shared little regarding the suspects but a source familiar with the investigation earlier stated an Iranian-linked motive was considered the most probable.

But he continued on the general Iranian threat to the country: "We know that Iran and their proxies wish to do us harm. We know that they hate our democracy, and we know that we regularly have to thwart Iranian attempts to threaten either our interests or indeed our allies."

Notably, the Iranian embassy in London remarked it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" speculation that Tehran was involved in the bomb scare.

In an X post, the embassy criticised "the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran" to the incident.

In May, Britain sanctioned 12 individuals and entities linked to Iran, accusing them of involvement in hostile activity including plotting attacks and providing financial services to groups seeking to destabilise the UK and other countries.

Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in attacks or plots in the UK and elsewhere.

For context, the British administration had given authorisation to the US to apply bombers based at Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

For context, the administration has stated Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being regularly updated on the incident and he cancelled attending at least two events at his Labour Party's annual conference on Sunday.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards had cautioned Britain in July not to allow US bombers to fly from Fairford, saying any base employed to launch attacks would be a legitimate target.

While security was stepped up around the base, a bomb disposal robot could be seen on Sunday operating around the three white vans. Armed police stood guard at the main entrance while sizeable machinery was employed to block other access points. Security was additionally stepped up at other US bases in Britain.

For now, five arrested over UK airbase incident being released on bail: police remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.