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United Kingdom police are releasing five terror suspects on bail Monday after they were arrested on suspicion of a terror plot targeting a U.S. air base in Britain this weekend.
Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, confirmed that investigations into the five men are ongoing, “including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.” Meanwhile, the Iranian Embassy in the U.K. has denied any connection to the five men.
The Sunday night arrests came after a local resident and farmer in Gloucestershire told the BBC that she had called police late in the evening after coming across three white vans blocking a road near RAF Fairford air base. As she turned her car around, she told the BBC that her headlights illuminated a group of “hooded and masked men” who “panicked” upon being spotted and scrambled into a nearby woods.
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Authorities identified the five men as “U.K. nationals,” but did not offer any further details.
RAF Fairford plays host to significant U.S. Air Force assets and has been used as a launching point for multiple U.S. operations in the war against Iran in recent months.
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Defense Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed that the local farmer had at least a “partial picture” of the incident.
“I do want to thank the member of the public who acted quickly and called this in,” Streeting told the BBC.
“I would also just say, respectfully, that she has a partial picture. And I won’t go beyond that, in terms of commenting on operational security matters,” he added.
The local, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that she was astounded it had been her 999 call that “foiled whatever plans they had,” adding that she was surprised the base didn’t have more significant surveillance and security.
Iran’s Embassy vehemently denied any connection with the incident in a public statement on Monday.
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“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base,” the Embassy wrote on X.
“The Circulation of such fabricated speculations, particularly in the aftermath of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the U.K.,” the statement continued.
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“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, as necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and damaging media narratives,” it added.
Reuters contributed to this report.