Iran embassy denies link to suspected bomb plot near UK airbase

LONDON, Sept 28: Iran’s embassy in London on Monday denied any involvement in the arrest of five British men near RAF Fairford, a UK airbase used by US military aircraft, after investigators reportedly examined a possible Iranian connection to the incident.

In a statement posted on X, the embassy “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” what it described as “unfounded and malicious speculations” linking Iran to the arrests, saying such claims would serve only to fuel what it called “Iranophobia propaganda” in Britain.

The five men, all British nationals in their 20s, were arrested after police received a report of three suspicious vans near the Gloucestershire base. They were initially detained on suspicion of explosives offences and were later arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. Police said investigators were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including the possibility that individuals could have been acting knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state.

A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that an Iran-linked motive was considered the most likely, while possible Russian involvement and an Islamist plot were also being examined. No conclusion has been announced by British authorities.

The five men were released on police bail Monday following questioning. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, stressed that their release did not mean the investigation was over and said they remained under investigation subject to stringent conditions