UK police make seventh arrest over RAF Fairford incident

British police arrested a seventh man on Tuesday over the RAF Fairford incident, a major security incident last month at a British military airbase used by the United States to launch strikes on Iran. A 22-year-old British man was arrested in London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.

Who has been arrested over the RAF Fairford incident?

The seventh suspect is a 22-year-old British man, arrested in London, Britain's Counter-Terrorism Policing network said. Six men in their 20s were arrested earlier and released on bail after three suspicious vans were stopped near the base in southwest England on September 27. One is a UK-Iranian dual national, and none have been charged.

What happened at RAF Fairford on September 27?

British authorities declared the incident "major," and a nearby village was evacuated. The source and nature of the threat have remained shrouded in mystery.

Investigators did not find any explosives in the vans, but officials said they recovered some petrol. UK media reports say officers were alerted to the incident by one of the initial suspects, although police have not commented on this.

Is RAF Fairford linked to US strikes on Iran?

Britain gave Washington permission in March to use RAF Fairford for "specific defensive operations into Iran," and US bombers and other planes have since been seen taking off and landing at the base.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there were "strong indications that Iran played a part" in the incident, which Tehran has rejected. The UK government insists that the base is safe.

What has Trump said about the RAF Fairford threat?

The arrest came a day after President Donald Trump said the United States had withdrawn all B-1 bombers from the base because of "threats" he believed were linked to Tehran. He said the planes were redeployed because "there were some threats."

"We actually know the people that made the threat," he said, adding: "They would be linked to Iran." Trump has rebuked British authorities for bailing the suspects, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to play down any specific threat.