Probe into Iranian Faslane accused still ongoing two weeks after release

The probe into Iranian Faslane accused Sarsam Abutakir is ongoing - two weeks after he was released from custody.

The 34-year-old was detained over claims he tried to enter the Naval Base, which houses the UK's nuclear-armed submarines.

He was held in police custody for four nights after his arrest and was due to appear at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Monday, March 23.

But he was released from custody without appearing in the dock, with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service saying the investigation into him was ongoing.

And the body, Scotland's prosecuting authority, have said that the probe is still ongoing, two weeks on from his planned court appearance.

When asked for an update on the case, a spokesperson said there was no change to the statement released at the time he was liberated, meaning the investigation is still ongoing.

The statement read: "The Procurator Fiscal received a report concerning a 34-year-old man in connection with an alleged incident on March 19, 2026.

After full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, he was liberated from custody pending further inquiries and did not appear in court.

"The case against him remains live and under consideration."

The incident involving Abutakir took place at HM Naval Base Clyde, which is near Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, on Thursday, March 19.

Romanian national Alina Valentina was arrested alongside him and was also arrested without appearing in court.

Kurdish and Romanian interpreters had been scheduled to translate for the suspects in court, had they appeared in the dock before Sheriff Lorna Anderson.

In relation to Valentina, a Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service spokesperson said: "The Procurator Fiscal received a report relating to a 31-year-old woman and an incident said to have occurred on March 19, 2026. 

"After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, the Procurator Fiscal decided that there should be no proceedings.

"The Crown reserves the right to proceed in the future should further evidence become available."

Faslane, home to all of the Royal Navy's nuclear submarines, is around 25 miles north-west of Glasgow and sits on the Gare Loch.

The UK's four Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines, which carry Trident nuclear missiles, are stationed at the base.

Abutakir and Valentina were detained amid the conflict between the United States and Israel and Abutakir's homeland, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Wide-ranging strikes have taken place in the Middle Eastern country, and the conflict led to the February 28 death of Ali Khamenei, the state's supreme leader. 

In response, Iran launched attacks on Israel and other Gulf states which are allied to the USA.

Groups such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), which was founded in 1957, have advocated for the removal of Trident missiles from the base, while a peace camp has been stationed next to the site for over 40 years.

The camp, which first appeared in 1982, was established to protest against Margaret Thatcher's government's purchase of the nuclear missile system.

But it remains there to this day, with campaigners, who regularly hold protests, living in tents, caravans and other makeshift dwellings.

Faslane's Vanguard submarines are set to be replaced after 2030 by the new Dreadnought-class submarines.

The Astute-class attack submarines, which are conventionally armed but nuclear powered, are also stationed at the base, while Britain's nuclear warheads stock is held at Loch Long, at the at the nearby Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) Coulport.

The United Kingdom's nuclear-powered submarines can remain underwater at sea for months and have operated continuously since 1969.