Questions remain over Iran’s link to alleged RAF Fairford bomb plot
Tehran has been trying to step up attacks on targets in the west but its track record has been mixed
TL;DR
- Five men arrested near RAF Fairford in connection with a suspected terror plot involving explosives have been released on bail without charge.
- Searches of the men and their three vans revealed no explosives or viable devices, leading to their release.
- The arrests were reportedly based on last-minute local warnings, not pre-existing intelligence.
- RAF Fairford is a European base for US Air Force bombers and has been used in operations against Iran.
- Iran's IRGC had previously identified bases used by the US to attack Iran, including Fairford, as 'legitimate targets'.
- Nigel Farage linked the incident to Iran, but his argument about small boat arrivals was weakened by the fact the arrested men were UK nationals.
- Despite inflated claims by Donald Trump about monitoring the men, UK sources state threat levels at Fairford were due to wider concerns about US bases.
- MI5 has previously noted over 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots in one year, and a state-directed attack on an Iranian journalist was noted.
- An IRGC-backed terror group was sanctioned by the UK home secretary after claiming responsibility for attacks, though evidence is still being heard in court.