UK-Iranian dual national bailed after RAF Fairford incident arrest

3 October 2026, 11: 27 BST. Updated 45 minutes ago.

Key points

• The 25-year-old man was arrested in the London borough of Westminster on Thursday.
• The Iranian embassy in London remarked on Monday that it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" what it called "unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Iran to the incident.
• Late on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed a TV show that it was clear a "foreign actor" had been involved in events over the weekend.
• A UK-Iranian dual national arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts in connection with an incident at RAF Fairford has been published on bail.
• Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a Cobra session that afternoon in response.

Notably, a UK-Iranian dual national arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts in connection with an incident at RAF Fairford has been published on bail.

For context, the 25-year-old man was arrested in the London borough of Westminster on Thursday. Searches of two properties in the same area have now finished.

Notably, a major incident was declared and dozens of homes were evacuated after police were alerted to three "suspicious vehicles" near the airbase in Gloucestershire last weekend.

Five other men in their twenties were arrested and were subsequently published on police bail. All five were UK nationals from London.

Notably, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the events are continuing, police remarked.

Last weekend, the five men aged between 23 and 25 were arrested in the early hours of the morning after vehicles were documented to be travelling towards the base operated by the US Air Force (USAF), sparking a major security incident.

Notably, the BBC understands that one of the men had dialled 999 himself, regarding an hour before a local farmer alerted police to a "large group" of masked men near the vehicles.

They were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and afterwards on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, before being issued on bail on Monday in what police called an "investigative decision" that was "grounded in experience and strategy".

Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a Cobra session that afternoon in response. He afterwards stated there were "strong indications" that Iran had played a part in the incident, but did not provide any more details.

Tehran has strongly denied any involvement. The Iranian embassy in London remarked on Monday that it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" what it called "unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Iran to the incident.

RAF Fairford has been applied as a forward operating location by the US Air Force (USAF) for decades.

After the UK approved a US request to employ it for defensive strikes on Iran, in recent months, US bombers have taken off from the base for the Middle East.

In July, Iran remarked "any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces".

Without providing evidence or giving further details, he informed Fox News network's "Hannity" programme: "What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a highly serious situation. It's one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor."

Speaking earlier at the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump remarked he would not have let the five men arrested out on bail, and that he was "surprised" they had been issued.

"We know everything about them, we would not have released them, " he remarked, adding that the UK had worked with the US "very closely" on this.

For now, uK-Iranian dual national bailed after RAF Fairford incident arrest remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.