Counter-terrorism police have arrested a 22-year-old British national on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts in connection with an incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
The suspect was detained in Westminster, London, on Tuesday as investigators continued probing the 27 September security breach near the military airbase.
This marks the seventh arrest in the ongoing investigation, though authorities confirmed that no charges have been filed against any of the suspects thus far.
The inquiry was launched after a major incident was declared and numerous local homes were evacuated following reports of three suspicious vehicles near the perimeter.
Senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Vicki Evans, stated that the inquiry remains active while officers pursue multiple lines of inquiry.
Five men aged between 23 and 25 were initially detained in the early hours of 27 September as vehicles approached the facility, and were later released on police bail.
Police described their release as an investigative decision based on strategy and experience, following initial arrests for explosives offences and terrorist preparations.
A sixth suspect, a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national, was arrested in Westminster on 1 October and subsequently released on bail.
RAF Fairford near Whelford has long been utilized by the US Air Force, hosting B-1 and B-52 bombers deployed to the Middle East for defensive operations against Iran. The US has flown B-1 and B-52 bombers from the base to the Middle East, after the UK approved a request for Fairford to be used for defensive strikes against Iran, in recent months.
US forces recently relocated their bombers out of the base and back to America, prompting remarks from senior officials regarding security. He replied: “Yeah I think we can say that.
US President Donald Trump stated the aircraft were withdrawn due to unspecified threats against the base rather than by accident. We’ll capture the enemy and beat the enemy, and rather than tempting the enemy. But why should we leave them there. So we moved them around a little bit.
Earlier comments from US Vice-President JD Vance indicated the bombers were moved out of an abundance of caution amid intelligence reports.
Prior to Trump’s remarks, a Downing Street spokesperson maintained that RAF Fairford remained safe while commending British security and defense personnel. While speaking to a group of reporters outside the White House on Monday, Trump was asked if a “specific threat” had led the US to pull its bombers from the airbase. A No 10 spokesperson had insisted RAF Fairford was safe and pointed to his previous comments, where he praised the UK’s “police, defence and security services” in relation to the, prior to Trump’s intervention on Monday.
