Counter terrorism police have confirmed the five men arrested in the RAF Fairford incident on Sunday are all British.
Police said on Monday that the men arrested are all from London and aged between 23 and 25.
The group were arrested near the military base early on Sunday, and a police custody extension has been secured until later on Monday.
The five men are detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and preparing a terrorist act contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
The following information on the five men as given by counter terrorism police:
• Male, aged 24, resident of Camden
• Male, aged 24, resident of Westminster
• Male, aged 25, resident of Westminster
• Male, aged 23, resident of Westminster
• Male, aged 24, resident of Willesden
The confirmation of the men’s nationality comes after senior Reform figures, including Nigel Farage, had publicly speculated that the suspects could have links to small boats.
Farage wrote in a post on X that he had warned “for many months about Iranian agents coming into the UK via small boats across the Channel.”
Robert Jenrick also drew a link to small boat arrivals, whilst Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice demanded the government immediately release the suspects’ “identities, arrival times and provenance and residence status.”
Following the news that all of the men are British, many have condemned Reform for using the Fairford incident for their own political gain.
The Iranian embassy has ‘categorically rejected’ speculation linking the country to the arrests of the five men.
In a statement posted on X, the embassy writes it “strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets”.
It adds: “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.”