<p>Authorities investigating a recent terrorism scare outside the Royal Air Force Fairford base in Gloucestershire have arrested a suspect described as a British-Iranian dual national and have begun searching properties in connection with the incident.</p>
<p>British Counter Terrorism Policing announced on October 1, 2026, that the individual was arrested in the Westminster borough of London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. The suspect is a 27-year-old dual national of the United Kingdom and Iran.</p>
<p>Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, stated, “The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry.”</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img alt="Police officers stand at a checkpoint near RAF Fairford air base." class="wp-image-4746970" height="682" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26272438976088.jpg?w=696" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Police officers stand at a checkpoint near RAF Fairford air base, in Fairford, England, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (Alastair Grant/AP Photo)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Evans added, “As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles – including possible foreign state involvement.” She thanked the public for their continued support and patience during the investigation.</p>
<p>Five British nationals, aged between 23 and 25, were arrested on September 30, 2026, on suspicion of a terrorist plot near the base after a local farmer reported a suspicious group near the base, traveling in vans with fake business logos. The base has been used by the United States during the conflict with Iran.</p>
<p>The farmer reported that more than five individuals fled when approached by police.</p>
<p>The announcement from British authorities also mentioned a second suspect, a 26-year-old British national, who has been questioned under caution but not arrested.</p>
<p>Additionally, two properties have been searched by police in relation to the Fairford incident.</p>
<p>U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump, suggested connections to foreign actors, particularly Iran.</p>
<p>British Prime Minister Andy Burnham affirmed these suspicions, stating, “there are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford.”</p>
<p>Tehran has rejected claims that the five men have ties to the Islamic Republic, stating it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations.”</p>
<p>Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of national counterterrorism policing in the United Kingdom, stated at a press conference that investigators did not find any improvised explosives in their search of the vans but did find a quantity of petrol.</p>