Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Five British nationals arrested on suspicion of terror offences over an explosives threat to Royal Air Force base RAF Fairford have been released on police bail, the UK’s Counter Terrorism Policing said on Monday. The men, all in their 20s, remain under investigation after three suspicious vehicles travelling towards the base in south-west England were stopped by armed officers on Sunday.
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Counter Terrorism Policing said the investigation is continuing and that the five men are subject to strict conditions on their movement and contact with others. The development came as British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would chair an emergency COBRA meeting to ensure the government had “the full picture of the full situation, very clearly, in our sights”.
The five men were arrested in the Whelford area of Gloucestershire on suspicion of offences under the UK Explosives Act and on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act. “I can confirm that following extensive interviews and enquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon,” CTP chief Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor told reporters.
“To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry,” he said. Earlier, CTP had said the London-based men were being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and that a custody extension had been secured until later in the day.
The force said specially trained investigators had examined the scene overnight and their work had opened up multiple new lines of enquiry. It said military assets and other resources remained at the site as officers worked to establish the full circumstances of the suspects’ actions, their knowledge and any possible motive. A cordon remains in place in the village, with officers trying to minimise disruption to local communities.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, CTP’s Senior National Coordinator, said, “This is a hugely complex and large-scale operation, involving local and national policing, the MoD, and local agencies, who are working together to progress the investigation and support for the community.” She added, “I am very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident, and the geopolitical questions that are being raised. However, I ask that at this time, CTP are given the space to work carefully and clearly.” Evans said the investigation had been “incredibly disruptive” for local people but stressed that the activity was in the interest of national security and their safety. She also thanked emergency services, including the armed officers who first reached the scene.
Amid speculation over the case, Iran rejected any involvement in the suspected RAF Fairford bomb plot and called the claims “Iranophobia”. The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London said it “strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base”. It added that such “fabricated speculations” would only “fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK” and said Iran reserved the right to take legal steps in response to what it called misleading and damaging media narratives.
A local farmer from Whelford told reporters on Monday that she raised the alarm after seeing “a large group of hooded and masked men” near the treeline. “I am absolutely staggered that it was left to me as a member of the public to see and report this. I believe that my 999 call foiled whatever plans they had,” she told the BBC. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting thanked her for her intervention but said she had only a “partial picture” of the incident. “I won’t go beyond that, in terms of commenting on operational security matters,” he said.
RAF Fairford has been used to launch US operations against Iran during the ongoing war in West Asia. In the US, President Donald Trump said the men arrested near the base were “looking to do big damage”. “We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great,” he said. “It may have been Scotland Yard, I don’t know. We worked with a lot of them. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them. It was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job,” Trump added. The incident follows a threat in July by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to attack RAF Fairford after veiled threats against the “British monarchy regime”.
In sum, the five suspects arrested near RAF Fairford have been released on bail but remain under investigation, with a major counter-terror operation still under way, political attention rising in Britain, and wider speculation around the case adding to the scrutiny.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
