A counter-terrorism investigation near RAF Fairford has heightened concern about Iran-linked threats in Britain, although police have not established a confirmed plot or charged anyone in the case. Five London men were arrested on September 27 after three white vans were seen travelling towards the Gloucestershire airbase shortly after midnight. No explosives were found, and the men were released on police bail a day later.
Two further arrests followed in London, including a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national and a 22-year-old British man. Both were also released on bail. Police say they are examining all possible explanations, including potential foreign-state involvement, while the investigation continues.
The United States removed all 12 B-1 bombers from Fairford on October 4. The aircraft had been used for strikes against Iran during the war, and President Donald Trump said the withdrawal followed a threat linked to Iran. A US official said the feared attack could have been intended to kill American troops and destroy aircraft, while Britain’s armed-forces chief, Rich Knighton, described the move as an operational decision to reduce risk. Iran has denied involvement but has previously described bases used to attack its territory as legitimate targets.
Fairford is an exposed forward base where aircraft can be watched and tracked from nearby public areas. British officials remain sceptical that Iran could mount a sophisticated drone attack against a heavily protected facility so far from Tehran, but the reported threat was serious enough to alter US military operations. During the wider war, at least 81 US military aircraft, helicopters or drones were reported destroyed or damaged, including aircraft hit on the ground in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The concern extends beyond military sites. British security officials say Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has used criminal networks and proxies in attacks against Jewish communities and other targets in Britain and Europe. In March, four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire in Golders Green, and the government later sanctioned an Iran-linked group that claimed responsibility for seven attacks at UK locations.
Separately, prosecutors allege that Salam Ahmadyan and Rahman Salehi researched the Heaton Park synagogue and the Jewish Museum in Manchester and received instructions from a person believed to be operating from Iran on making a homemade chlorine bomb. The pair were charged with terrorism offences and remanded for a later hearing. Counter-terrorism police said that case was not connected to the Fairford investigation, which remains unresolved and has produced no charges.