The arrests near RAF Fairford, a base used by the US Air Force for bomber operations in Europe, have drawn swift reactions from both sides of the Atlantic. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a foreign actor was “clearly” behind the suspected plot, though he did not name the country. Former US president Donald Trump also expressed concerns about the UK’s handling of the suspects, who were reportedly bailed.
Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell responded by saying: “I trust our police,” emphasising confidence in the UK’s counter-terrorism procedures. Powell’s comments came amid heightened tensions over the base’s role in US bombing campaigns against Iran.
According to The Guardian’s defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh, RAF Fairford is “essentially an American base on British soil” and has been used by the US in its bombing campaign against Iran, after former prime minister Keir Starmer agreed to allow American strikes on Iranian missile launch sites as part of the war initiated by Trump earlier this year.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement in July, when the US was carrying out consecutive bombing attacks, declaring that any bases used by the US to attack Iran, including RAF Fairford, were “legitimate targets”. However, Iran’s embassy in London has strongly rejected any link to the recent arrests, calling speculation unfounded.
The investigation is ongoing, with police and counter-terrorism officials working to establish the full extent of the alleged plot.