United Kingdom police have arrested a 25-year-old British-Iranian man in relation to a security incident at a Royal Air Force (RAF) station near Fairford, England, this week
The man, described by police as a “dual UK/Iranian national” and detained on suspicion of preparing “terrorist” acts, is the sixth person to be arrested in what British authorities said was potentially an Iran-backed plot.
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authorities → arrest → acts
The five other people arrested earlier were released on bail on Monday.
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people → arrest → Monday
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The investigation began when British authorities were alerted early on Sunday about unusual activity near the airbase, including oddly parked vans and a group of masked men.
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authorities → suggest → men
After searching the vans, authorities found no weapons or explosives but did recover a “quantity of petrol”.
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authorities → search → petrol
The RAF station has been used by the United States for military operations, including by bombers during the US-Israel war on Iran.
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station → use → Iran
Here’s what we know about the latest development in the case:
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we → ’ → case
What’s happened?
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What → happen → ?
British counterterrorism police announced the arrest of a 25-year-old British-Iranian dual national in Westminster, London, on Thursday.
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police → announce → Thursday
Iran, however, does not recognise dual citizenship, and treats Iranians with a second passport solely as Iranian.
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Iran → recognise → Iranian
The man was detained on “suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006”, the same offence cited in the arrests of the five other suspects.
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man → detain → suspects
In line with standard police practice, none of the suspects has been named ahead of any charges being made.
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none → name → charges
Police said they also conducted searches of two properties in the London area.
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they → say → area
They appealed to the public for any information that could assist the investigation.
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that → appeal → investigation
What do we know about the suspect in custody?
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we → know → custody
The Times newspaper reported that the British-Iranian suspect is being investigated as a possible “recruiter” in the still-opaque plot or as someone otherwise believed to have played a significant role.
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suspect → report → role
The media reported that the man was placed under surveillance after the arrest of the first five men.
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man → report → men
He has not been named.
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He → name → ?
What evidence is there that this was an Iran-linked plot?
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this → link → ?
The UK has pointed to an Iranian connection but has so far kept the reason for that assessment under wraps.
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UK → point → wraps
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are “strong indications” of Iran’s involvement in the incident and an “ongoing, complex and serious police investigation” is continuing.
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investigation → say → incident
He did not give information on what the suspects may have been planning or what intelligence has led the UK to suspect the involvement of Iran, saying only that he would “update people more in due course”.
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he → give → course
In the US, President Donald Trump said the case “might be” Iran-linked and the US had been keeping tabs on the suspects “for a long time”.
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US → say → time
Trump criticised the UK’s decision to release the first five suspects on bail.
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Trump → criticise → bail
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government had forewarned the UK about a potential “Iranian-sponsored attack” but did not specify if that was related to the same RAF base incident.
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that → say → incident
Iranian officials have firmly denied any connection to the incident.
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officials → deny → incident
Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanch called the claims “false and ridiculous”.
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Ravanch → call → claims
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned British Ambassador Hugo Shorter on Thursday to protest against the allegations.
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Ministry → summon → allegations
What happened at RAF Fairford?
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What → happen → Fairford
Authorities received two early-morning calls on Sunday alerting them to suspicious activity near the Fairford airbase, including three vans parked strangely and a group of hooded, masked men.
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Authorities → receive → men
Unusually, the first call to the UK’s emergency line was made by one of the suspects who would later be arrested.
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who → make → suspects
Police responded and arrested five British men in their early 20s in the nearby Whelford area, saying they were suspected of explosives offences.
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they → respond → offences
Counterterrorism police later took over the investigation and said the men were suspected of preparing “a terrorist act”.
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men → take → act
The suspects were released on bail on Monday but remained subject to “stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others”, according to the UK’s head of counterterrorism policing, Laurence Taylor.
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suspects → release → policing
After searching the vans located near the airbase, police said they found no explosives but did retrieve a “quantity of petrol”.
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they → search → petrol
Why were the men arrested at the scene given bail if this is a major incident?
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this → arrest → bail
That’s one of the big unanswered questions.
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That → ’ → questions
Under British “counterterrorism” law, police may hold suspects for up to two weeks before charging them.
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police → hold → them
However, if authorities find little evidence to support their initial suspicion of “terrorism”, they have far less time – usually 24 to 36 hours, Chris Phillips, a former head of the UK’s National Counter Terrorism Security Office, told Al Jazeera.
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Phillips → find → Jazeera
Other security experts told Al Jazeera that police likely released the first five suspects because they did not deem them to be an imminent security risk or found that their potential involvement in any plot was unwitting.
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involvement → tell → plot
“In cases involving terrorism, suspects can still be released on bail when the authorities feel relatively confident that these individuals do not pose an imminent danger of either carrying out or organising a terrorist attack,” Andrew Silke, professor of criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London, told Al Jazeera.
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Silke → involve → Jazeera
…and 14 more, not listed.
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