UK Police Arrest Seventh Man in Connection With Iran Drone Plot Fears

British police arrested a 22-year-old man in London on Tuesday on suspicion of a terror offense related to a security incident at the U.S.-run RAF Fairford air base.

This marks the seventh arrest in connection with a suspected plot against the base, which authorities have linked to Iran. U.S. officials stated that fears of a possible Iranian drone attack prompted the U.S. Air Force to evacuate bombers from the base over the weekend. A U.S. official described the threat as a sophisticated plot to attack the base with multiple drones.

The plot is believed to have been ordered by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps with the aim of targeting B-1 bombers and killing American pilots. Intelligence suggested that a branch of the IRGC may have recruited U.K. nationals to participate in the attack, which may have included a diversion in a nearby village. One U.S. official indicated that the bombers were positioned so close to the fence that they could be easily targeted.

Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledged Iran's connection to the incident and issued a new threat. Some officials suggested that initial arrests last Sunday of five men on suspicion of terrorism, who were later released on bail, may have been a dry run or a diversion, as they possessed gasoline but no weapons or explosives.