LONDON, Oct 6 – A U.S.-run military base in England faced threats believed to be connected to Iran, with American officials assessing that any potential attack could have been aimed at killing as many U.S. service members and destroying as many American aircraft as possible, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.
The official, who was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide details about the nature of the suspected threat or what form an attack might have taken. The disclosure comes days after the United States moved its bombers away from RAF Fairford, a military facility about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London that has played an important role in U.S. air operations during this year’s war with Iran.
The development has added to growing security concerns surrounding the base and comes as British authorities continue investigating what they describe as a suspected terrorism-related plot potentially connected to Iran.
British police on Tuesday arrested a 22-year-old British man in central London on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. His detention brings to seven the number of people arrested in connection with the investigation, which British authorities have linked to Iran. Police have not publicly disclosed the full circumstances surrounding the alleged plot or explained precisely what investigators believe the suspects were planning.
The latest arrest follows a series of detentions that began near RAF Fairford on Sept. 27. Five British men in their 20s were taken into custody close to the perimeter of the base during the early hours of that morning. A 25-year-old British-Iranian man was later arrested in London on Thursday.
All six of those earlier suspects were subsequently released on bail while the investigation continues.
Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, said investigators were examining all possible explanations for what happened around the Gloucestershire base.
“We’re acutely aware of the public interest in this investigation, and we are working around the clock, and at pace, to identify the motivation behind events in Gloucestershire,” Evans said.
The police operation near Fairford caused significant disruption in the surrounding area. Scores of residents were evacuated from their homes as armed officers and military bomb-disposal specialists responded to the incident during the night.
Authorities later said they had discovered a quantity of gasoline, described as an accelerant, inside three vans associated with the five men detained near the base. No explosives were found, according to police.
The investigation has nevertheless raised questions about whether the incident was part of a wider effort to target the military facility, particularly because of Fairford’s role in U.S. operations against Iran.
Investigation continues as U.S. moves bombers from Fairford
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there were “strong indications” that Iran had played a role in the incident. He did not publicly explain what evidence supported that assessment or describe the suspected Iranian connection in detail.
Iran has denied involvement.
Tehran has, however, previously warned that military facilities used to conduct attacks against Iranian territory could be considered legitimate targets. That position has taken on added significance as RAF Fairford has been used by American B-1 and B-52 bombers during the conflict.
The British government has allowed the United States to use the base for what it has described as defensive operations against Iranian missiles and their launch sites. British officials have said those operations followed Iranian attacks against British interests and U.K. allies in the Gulf.
The United States removed its B-1 bombers from Fairford on Sunday. The Pentagon said the American bombers stationed at the facility had been redeployed to their home bases in the United States.
President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that the decision was connected to a threat against the aircraft and personnel.
Trump said he did not want to tempt “the enemy” by keeping the bombers at the British base while a potential threat existed. He added that if the United States was being threatened, moving the aircraft would remove the immediate opportunity for an attack.
“We had a threat, and if we’re going to be threatened, we would just move them, and that sort of alleviates that,” Trump told reporters in Washington.
The president also said those behind the threat “would be linked to Iran,” although he did not provide further information about the intelligence or the nature of the suspected plan.
British authorities have so far avoided confirming reports that the U.S. aircraft were moved because of concerns about a possible drone attack on the base.
Tom Wells, a spokesman for the British prime minister, declined Monday to discuss the details of U.S. military operations. He nevertheless said RAF Fairford remained safe.
The differing levels of disclosure have left several important questions unanswered, including what prompted the United States to move its bombers, whether the threat was connected directly to the arrests near Fairford, and what investigators believe the suspects intended to do.
British counterterrorism officials have also stressed that the investigation remains active and that the motive behind the events has not yet been fully established.
The case comes amid broader concern in Britain over alleged activity by hostile states. British security agencies have warned in recent years that countries including Russia and Iran have increasingly relied on intermediaries and proxies to carry out criminal or disruptive activities inside the United Kingdom.
British officials have said national security investigations involving hostile-state activity, including cases involving Iran, increased by about 50% during the six months to December 2025.
U.K. authorities have also previously accused groups and individuals linked to Iran of involvement in arson attacks and other incidents in Britain and elsewhere. Some of those cases have involved Jewish communities and have been described by officials as attempts to spread fear.
Security officials have warned that Tehran could potentially broaden the range of targets inside Britain if conflicts in the Middle East continue to escalate.
The events surrounding RAF Fairford have therefore become part of a wider security picture that extends beyond the immediate investigation. The base remains an important location for U.S. military aviation in Europe, while its use during the Iran conflict has increased its strategic significance and potentially its exposure to retaliation.
For now, British police have not publicly established that the seven people arrested were responsible for a planned attack on American forces or aircraft. Nor have authorities released evidence showing exactly how the alleged Iran connection was established.
The investigation is continuing, with counterterrorism officers examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, the movements of the suspects and the materials discovered in the vehicles.
The removal of the U.S. bombers has reduced the immediate military presence at Fairford, but the episode has underscored the security risks surrounding American forces operating from British soil during a period of heightened tensions with Iran. Further details are expected to emerge as British investigators continue their work and authorities determine whether the arrests were connected to a specific plan against the base or formed part of a broader effort to target U.S. interests in the United Kingdom.