Iran under scrutiny after plot foiled near UK base used by US military

Just days after left-wing British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband shook hands with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s top diplomat at the United Nations, U.K. authorities arrested five men with possible links to Tehran who allegedly sought to bomb a military base in Fairford used by American forces.

Armed officers arrested the five suspected terrorists who were traveling in three vans reportedly packed with explosive material. The authorities seized the five British nationals and the vans a mere 350 yards from the military base, which is used by the U.S. Army to launch air strikes against military targets in Iran.

Speaking from London on Monday, Nile Gardiner, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital, “I think it is highly likely it was an Iranian orchestrated attack. It is stunning that they have released terrorist suspects on bail. It strikes me as entirely insane. The suspects appear to be Muslim Islamists, judging by the picture.”

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Gardiner said, “The British government is on a full appeasement drive toward Tehran. We saw that with Ed Miliband meeting with the Iranian foreign minister at the U.N. General Assembly. The U.K. does not want to get involved in the U.S.-led war against Tehran.”

He said the current government is a “socialist appeasement-minded British administration that is incredibly weak on defense and national security.”

The United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign on Feb. 28 to knock out Iran’s nuclear weapons and missile systems.

A source familiar with the Fairford investigation had previously ⁠told Reuters that an Iranian-linked motive was considered the most likely, although a Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot were also being looked at as possibilities.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said the suspects were “looking to do big damage.” He added, “We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.”

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that “when asked whether President Trump’s comments were accurate, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said the Defence Secretary had been asked about them on the morning round and referred journalists to his words. He said the investigation was ongoing, and it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

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The U.S. and U.K.-designated terrorist movement, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), put the British government on notice in July that military installations used to attack Iran are legitimate targets for retaliation.

Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which tracks Iran’s terrorist and spycraft activities in the United Kingdom, told Fox News Digital, “I believe Iran would have a motive for such a plot. This is because in July, authorities in Cyprus arrested a man accused of spying for Iran at RAF [Royal Air Force] Akrotiri. Iranian officials and media have also pointed to RAF Fairford specifically, dubbing it ‘an important matter for our self-defense’ amid Operation Epic Fury.”

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Brodsky added, “Iran has a long history of launching terror plots in the U.K., via its Intelligence Ministry and the IRGC. It has long used criminal gangs as proxies to mask its involvement. So I suspect U.K. authorities are probing these angles as part of the investigation.”

The U.K.’s Counterterrorism Policing Office said the five suspects were detained on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act and preparation of a terrorist act contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.

Vicki Evans, counterterrorism policing senior national coordinator, deputy assistant commissioner, said, “This is a hugely complex and large-scale operation, involving local and national policing, the MOD, and local agencies, who are working together to progress the investigation and support for the community.”

Evans added, “I am very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident, and the geopolitical questions that are being raised.”

According to an X post by the Iranian regime’s embassy in London, “The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base.”

The Iranian Embassy added “The Circulation of such fabricated speculations, particularly in the aftermath of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK. The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, as necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and damaging media narratives.”

Barak Seener, senior fellow at the London-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital, “The British government has no sense of how to prioritize its national security interests. While British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the U.N. that the United Kingdom will not tolerate intimidation, threats, or hostile activity on British soil, he was sure to take a friendly picture with him, while purposely avoiding meeting any Israeli representative.”

He added, “Similarly, at the Labor Party conference, Ed Miliband spent 15 seconds on Iran, and close to four minutes on Israel. This has led to an environment in which a suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford could take place.”

A spokesperson for the British government told Fox News Digital, “The police have issued a statement this afternoon from the head of CTP. We don’t have any further comment at this early stage.”

With respect to the Fox News Digital press query about Miliband’s meeting with Araghchi at the U.N., the British government spokesperson sent Fox News Digital a readout of the meeting, “The Foreign Secretary told Araghchi that Iran should choose de-escalation and diplomacy instead of prolonging the war. He underlined the importance of restoring freedom of navigation and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the impact continued disruption has on global security and economic stability.

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“The Foreign Secretary reiterated the UK’s unwavering resolve to combat threats from Iranian-linked groups in UK soil, including attacks on the British Jewish community. The Foreign Secretary made clear that Britain will not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil and set out the measures the Government has taken in response. He also raised the ongoing detention of Craig and Lindsay Foreman, repeating the UK’s call for their immediate release and stressing that their welfare remains a priority for the Government.”

Reuters contributed to this report.