Police in London arrested a 22-year-old British man on Tuesday, Oct. 6, in connection to a suspected terror plot on an airbase in the United Kingdom used by the U.S. military.
The arrest was made in the London Borough of Westminster and is the latest in the case of a suspected attack attempt on U.S. bombers at RAF Fairford, an airbase located about 90 miles outside London in the Gloucestershire ceremonial county, according to the U.K.’s Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) law enforcement agency network.
"This remains a live investigation and our specialist teams continue to pursue multiple lines of enquiry into the circumstances surrounding events near RAF Fairford," Vicki Evans, a senior national coordinator for the U.K.’s CTP, said in a statement.
"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. We remain committed to investigating all possible angles."
Tuesday’s arrest is the seventh made in connection with the suspect plot British authorities announced they thwarted on Sept. 27. Six others arrested in connection with the case have been released on bail, a move criticized by President Donald Trump.
The exact nature of the plot remains unclear but British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Sept. 30 that there are "strong indications that Iran played a part" in the incident.
U.S. Air Force officials responded on Oct. 4 by removing all 12 B-1 bombers stationed at the airbase.
The base is strategically important for the Pentagon because the shorter flight distance reduces the time and cost for striking targets in Iran, and the facility has been used extensively since the launch of the war at the end of February.
U.S. and British authorities have expressed deep concern that the RAF Fairford base would be the target of an Iran-backed attack.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arrest in London made in connection with suspected attack on US bombers
