RAF Fairford plot probe: five British suspects bailed, sixth man arrested

Five men, all British nationals from London aged 23 to 25, were arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire early on Sept 27 after police stopped three vans near the US-used airbase; they were held on suspicion of explosives offences and preparing a terrorist act, then released on police bail on Sept 28. Police said no explosives were found, only petrol, and that one line of inquiry is that they may have acted as proxies for a foreign state; the BBC, Telegraph and Independent identify the five only as British nationals. On Oct 1 counter-terrorism police arrested a 27-year-old dual UK-Iranian national in London, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were strong indications Iran played a part; Iran denies involvement. Posts widely shared on X from Sept 28 claimed the five were children of immigrants or naturalised citizens; the BBC, Telegraph and Independent have not reported this, and police have released no information on the five men's family backgrounds.