Two Men Rearrested in UK on Suspicion of Assisting Iran Plot at U.S. Air Base

British police have rearrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service in a plot targeting a U.S.-run air base in England last month. Counter Terrorism Policing announced the arrests Tuesday, stating the individuals, a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual U.K.-Iranian national, were detained under the National Security Act. Both men had previously been arrested but were released on bail pending further investigation.

The investigation centers on a suspected terror plot on September 27 against the U.S. air base at RAF Fairford in western England. The base has been utilized for bombing missions against Iran amid the ongoing war. The incident led to the evacuation of numerous residents from nearby homes as armed police and army bomb-disposal experts secured the area. Authorities reported finding gasoline in three vans at the site but no explosives.

British officials have linked Tehran to the incident, which prompted the U.S. to withdraw its bombers from RAF Fairford. Five other men previously arrested in connection with the case remain on bail, and no charges have been filed to date.

Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the U.K., described the investigation as complex and ongoing. "Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it," Taylor stated, reiterating the belief that Iranian state involvement is highly probable.