British police are investigating an Iranian connection in the attempted attack on the Fairford Air Base
Although the identities of the five detainees have not been disclosed, it has been reported that they are all British citizens in their twenties.
An armored vehicle patrols inside the Fairford base
British counterterrorism police acknowledged that they have opened an investigative line to determine whether Iran is behind a plan for a "terrorist" attack against a military base in England used by the U.S. military, British media reported Monday.
Five men suspected of planning "a terrorist act" were arrested overnight from Saturday to Sunday near the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Fairford, in central England, which the U.S. military uses in its war against Iran.
When asked about the suspects, U.S. President Donald Trump, stated that he "knows everything about them, and you'll be hearing about it very soon." "We were investigating them. They wanted to cause serious damage to our base," Trump had said on Sunday.
Starmer authorized U.S. fighter jets to use the base
In March, the United Kingdom authorized the United States to use the Fairford base for "specific defensive operations targeting Iran," with the aim of destroying Iranian missiles. Members of the counterterrorism police conducting the investigation "are trying to determine whether the suspects have ties to Iran," British newspaper The Times reported on Monday.
According to The Telegraph, police "suspect" that Iran is most likely behind this planned attack.
The five detainees, British nationals in their 20s, according to counterterrorism authorities
"Specialized investigators from the Counter-Terrorism Police (CTP) continued to examine the scene [of the arrest] and carried out various operations, which allowed them to open several new lines of investigation," the police added in a statement.
"Legitimate target"
In July, Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to attack Fairford, warning that any base used to launch attacks against their country would constitute a "legitimate target," according to The Telegraph.
The police were alerted to the five suspects who were arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning by a farmer living near the base. The woman told the BBC on Monday that she had seen "a group of masked men" as she was returning home.
"Something very unusual"
"I realized that something very unusual was happening," she explained. "Aware that there was a threat to the base's security," the woman, who did not want to give her name, called the police.
A photograph of the five suspects in custody, sitting on the ground, shirtless and handcuffed during their arrest, dominated the front pages of many British newspapers on Monday.
Under anti-terrorism legislation, the five suspects can be held for up to 14 days without being formally charged.
British government urges "no speculation"
When asked about the possibility that another country might be responsible for the planned attack, British Defense Minister Wes Streeting stated on Monday that he does not want to "speculate at this stage of the investigation."
Fairford is the British base of the 501st Combat Support Wing, an administrative unit of the U.S. Air Force. That base was previously used by the U.S. military for operations during the Gulf War in the early 1990s and during the 2003 Iraq War.
This incident comes amid growing concern over the actions of other countries on British soil.
LATEST
