UK Re-Arrests RAF Fairford Suspects, Alleges They Are Foreign Intelligence Assets

Two men were re-arrested in an investigation into the Royal Air Force Fairford incident.

British Counterterrorism Policing re-arrested a 24-year-old and a 25-year-old man under suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service on Tuesday. Both men were from the London borough of Westminster, with the 24-year-old being a UK national, and the 25-year-old being a dual British and Iranian national, according to Sky News.

Authorities accused them of providing intelligence to Iran.

“Since the events at RAF Fairford on Sunday 27 September, our specialist teams have been working tirelessly to interrogate the many lines of enquiry involved in this hugely complex investigation. So far seven men have been arrested in connection with our investigation,” The British Counterterrorism Policing Office of Media Inquiry told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. “As a result of the ongoing efforts of our officers, earlier today two of those men were re-arrested for offences relating to Section 3 of the National Security Act — assisting a foreign intelligence service.”

The 24-year-old was first arrested on Sept. 27 near RAF Fairford and the 25-year-old on Oct. 1st in Westminster. They were quickly released on bail. Five other British nationals in their mid-20s were arrested and also subsequently released on bail without interrogation.

“This is very much a live investigation, and our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement,” assistant commissioner and head of Counterterrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor told Sky News. “Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it.”

The two men were initially arrested for transporting explosives near the RAF Fairford base. Following this incident, President Donald Trump removed its bombers from the base, Sky News reports.