A 22-year-old British national has been arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act following an incident close to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
Police detained the man in Westminster, London, on Tuesday as part of the ongoing investigation. This marks the seventh arrest in connection with the incident, though authorities have not charged anyone yet.
A major incident was declared after police received alerts about three suspicious vehicles near the airbase. Dozens of nearby homes were evacuated as a result.
Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the investigation remains live. Officers are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry, she added.
Five men, aged between 23 and 25, were arrested on 27 September near the base. They were stopped in the early hours of the morning after reports emerged of vehicles travelling towards the facility. Police held them on suspicion of explosives offences and preparing a terrorist act before releasing them on bail. The decision to release them was described by police as an investigative decision grounded in experience and strategy.
A sixth man, a 25-year-old dual Iranian-British national, was arrested in Westminster on 1 October. He was also released on bail.
RAF Fairford has served as a base for the US Air Force for many decades.
The US has used the site to fly B-1 and B-52 bombers to the Middle East in recent months. The UK had approved the request for the base to support defensive strikes against Iran.
On Sunday, the US removed the bombers and returned them to America.
US President Donald Trump said the aircraft were taken out due to some threats to the base. He told reporters: Yeah I think we can say that. They didn't fly out by accident. There were some threats. And rather than tempting the enemy, we'll capture the enemy and beat the enemy. But why should we leave them there? So we moved them around a little bit. Not very far.
Earlier, US Vice-President JD Vance said the bombers were moved out of an abundance of caution.
Reports in US media suggested the decision came after intelligence indicated Iran was planning a drone attack. The BBC has not been able to verify these reports.
A spokesperson for US European Command said it would be inappropriate to discuss matters of intelligence. The official added that the US would continue to assess the threat environment at its bases. The spokesperson said the US remains at the highest state of readiness and would take appropriate actions to protect its people, platforms and bases.
A spokesperson for No 10 said RAF Fairford was safe. The official pointed to previous comments praising the UK's police, defence and security services in relation to the base.
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