Iran Is the Leading Line of Inquiry Over the Fairford Plot
Five men remain in custody, uncharged and unnamed, after armed officers stopped three vans heading for the airbase Britain lets America use to strike Iran. Investigators examining materials found in the vans took the initial view that they were consistent with improvised explosive devices. An Iranian link is understood to be the most likely explanation, with Russian sabotage and an Islamist plot also being examined. The cordon stayed up overnight and 85 households could not go home.
Nothing has been officially attributed, and the distinction matters: a line of inquiry is not a finding. The men were held first under the Explosives Act and then under section 5 of the Terrorism Act, which allows detention for up to fourteen days without charge, so this may run into next month. The president was less careful, telling reporters the suspects were “looking to do big damage” and adding: “We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.” Gloucestershire’s temporary chief constable Maggie Blyth offered the flatter official line — “I can give reassurance that we believe the matter to be contained” — while her assistant chief constable Richard Ocone apologised for the disruption and said officers were working “as quickly as we can to get them back in their properties”. Security was visibly raised at Lakenheath and Mildenhall. Watch for a charge or a release.