MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said on Tuesday, Oct. 13, that Iran-linked operations in Britain now reach "harder targets, like military sites," and that the Fairford case "is not unique." On Sept. 27 police evacuated homes near RAF Fairford, the U.S.-run base in western England used to bomb Iran, and found gasoline in three vans but no explosives, per AP. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says the plot was "almost certainly" directed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard; Iran denies it, and the government has not made its evidence public. McCallum still ranks Russia as Britain's "aggressor number one."
The numbers
- More than 50 arrests in the UK tied to Iran-linked operations in the past 12 months (Washington Examiner, NBC News)
- Seven men in their 20s arrested over Fairford, all released on bail; none charged (AP)