Suspect Called the Police Before His Arrest.. The Mystery of the "Secret Mission" Near the "Fairford" Base

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British investigations into the arrest of five Britons near the 'RAF Fairford' airbase, used by U.S. forces, are becoming more complex after it was revealed that one of the suspects contacted the police himself before his arrest. Authorities did not find any explosives inside the three vehicles near the base, but instead found a quantity of gasoline, according to the British newspaper Telegraph.

The British anti-terrorism police are exploring several possibilities regarding the nature of the suspects' actions, including that they may have conducted a reconnaissance mission or a 'dry run' to test the security procedures of the base, or that they were working for a foreign entity, or that the incident was related to fuel theft. The sensitivity of the case is heightened due to the base's location, which hosts hundreds of U.S. military personnel and has been used by American bombers to carry out strikes against Iran during the current war.

In a notable development, investigations revealed that one of the five men contacted British emergency services about an hour before his arrest, although the reason for the call or what he wanted to inform the police about remains unclear. The call came before a farmer reported to the police at 1:36 AM after she saw three small vehicles and men acting suspiciously near the base while returning home. The motives behind the mysterious call are still unknown. Investigators are looking into whether the man realized he was involved in a dangerous plot and tried to inform the authorities, or if the call was part of the plot itself.

Authorities are also considering the possibility that the vehicles arrived in the area as part of a 'dry run' aimed at testing security vulnerabilities or assessing the feasibility of approaching the military facility before carrying out a potential operation.

The five men, all British from London and aged between 23 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of committing offenses related to explosives and preparing for a terrorist act. However, vehicle searches did not reveal any explosive devices, while the police found a quantity of gasoline. The absence of explosives complicated the investigation, as investigators are still trying to determine the true purpose of the men's and vehicles' presence near the base. Among the hypotheses being explored is the possibility that the operation is linked to gathering information or security testing, or that the men acted as agents for a foreign state, whether they knew the entity behind the mission or not.

The possibility of a connection to Iran is one of the lines of inquiry that the counter-terrorism police are focusing on, while investigating the possibility that the suspects were recruited online to act as agents for a foreign entity.

Assistant Commissioner Lawrence Taylor, head of the British counter-terrorism police, stated that authorities are considering the possibility that the activity was carried out by 'agents or individuals, knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state.' The investigations come amid rising tensions between Britain and Iran, following a warning from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in July that any British base used to launch attacks on Tehran would be a 'legitimate target.'

British authorities sparked controversy after releasing the five men on bail the day after their arrest. U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the decision, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that a 'foreign entity' is clearly involved in the incident. The counter-terrorism police defended the decision to release them, emphasizing that the men are still under investigation and subject to strict bail conditions, and that the decision was made based on a careful investigative assessment of the facts and evidence. The incident led to the evacuation of residents from about 85 homes in the nearby village of Wilford, amid fears of potential explosive materials inside the vehicles.

In a recent development, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that there are 'strong indications that Iran played a role' in what happened near the 'RAF Fairford' base. He added that the investigation is 'ongoing, complex, and serious,' confirming that Britain is working closely with the United States. Burnham refused to disclose the nature of the information the government is relying on to link Iran to the incident, but he stated that he 'would not say that lightly.' The Prime Minister confirmed that British authorities are imposing 'the strictest possible bail conditions' on the suspects, and that the case is under the highest levels of security oversight.