Iran plot to attack UK airbase? What we know

On September 27, police were called to RAF Fairford in England by a local farmer who reported seeing suspicious activity near the base. Five men were subsequently arrested and released on bail the following day. The men, all British nationals aged 23 to 25, were initially suspected of explosives offenses and later of preparing a terrorist act. Their arrest came after Iranian officials had previously suggested the base could be a legitimate target.

In response to the arrests, US President Donald Trump stated that the individuals involved planned to cause significant damage, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed the plot to a foreign actor. Iran's Revolutionary Guards had previously warned during July that the US airbase at RAF Fairford would be a legitimate target if it were used to launch attacks.

British counter-terrorism police are investigating the possibility that a foreign state was involved in the plot. Prime Minister Andy Burnham suggested on Wednesday that there might have been an Iranian connection. A 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national was arrested in London on Thursday as part of the investigation, which remains highly complex.

US forces had deployed bombers to RAF Fairford in the wake of Britain's approval for the base to be used for defensive strikes against Iran. The airbase, opened in 1944, has a storied history, having been utilized during the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944, the Gulf War in 1991, and the Iraq invasion in 2003. It remains one of the few European airfields suitable for heavy bombers.