A 22-year-old British man has been arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts as part of an ongoing investigation into a security incident last month near the US- பயன்படுத்தப்படும் RAF Fairford air base.
This latest arrest brings the total number of individuals detained in connection with the puzzling events near the air base in southern England on September 27 to seven. Counterterrorism police confirmed that a property in London associated with the arrested man was also searched as part of the inquiry.
Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, stated that the investigation is active and specialists are diligently exploring all avenues to determine the motive behind the incident. "Our specialist teams continue to pursue multiple lines of inquiry into the circumstances surrounding events near R.A.F. Fairford," Evans said, adding that authorities are working "around the clock."
Earlier in the investigation, five British men, all in their 20s, were arrested after being observed traveling in three white vans towards the base. The situation escalated when one of the men contacted emergency services shortly before 1 a.m., triggering a significant counterterrorism response, including the cordoning off of the local village and the deployment of explosive experts.
The initial five suspects were released on bail the following day after no explosives were found. Authorities did, however, recover a container of fuel from the vans. A seventh individual, a British-Iranian national, was also arrested on Thursday under suspicion of preparing terrorist acts but has since been released on bail.
