Burnham says 'strong indications' Iran involved in RAF Fairford incident
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told the BBC there are 'strong indications' Iran played a part in the weekend security incident at RAF Fairford, the first time a UK official has publicly linked Tehran to the arrests.
Andy Burnham has said there are “strong indications” Iran was involved in the weekend incident at RAF Fairford — the first time a British official has publicly linked Tehran to the arrests. Associated Press
“There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation,” Burnham told the BBC on Wednesday. He added he “wouldn’t say it lightly”, that the UK was working “closely” with US colleagues, and that he would share no further details. CNN
Five British men in their 20s were arrested early on Sunday near the base on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences, then released on bail. Police said on Tuesday no explosives were found in the three white vans, though a quantity of petrol was recovered. Al Jazeera
Iran’s embassy in London said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” the “unfounded and malicious speculations”, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X Burnham was “barking up the wrong tree”. The Hindu
They follow US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s claim the suspected plot “clearly involved the hands of a foreign actor”, and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that Israel had passed Britain intelligence of “an Iranian-sponsored attack”. CNN
Background
RAF Fairford, about 160km west of London, has been used by US bombers striking Iran this year; Tehran has previously said it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target. Associated Press
More on this topic: all UK Broadband stories
