‘Strong indications’ Iran involved in RAF airbase incident, says British PM Andy Burnham
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Police officers on guard near Britain’s RAF Fairford airbase, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, on Sept 29.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated there are "strong indications" that Iran was involved in a bomb scare incident at RAF Fairford on September 27, a UK airbase used by the US military.
- No explosives were found in the vehicles involved, but police recovered petrol; the incident was reportedly foiled after one suspect tipped off authorities before arrests were made.
- Iran denied involvement, calling the claims "categorically rejected," while the ongoing investigation remains complex amid heightened tensions over the base's use against Iran.
AI generated
LONDON – British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Sept 30 that there were “strong indications” Iran was involved in suspicious activity at a British airbase that triggered a major security incident last weekend.
“There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford,” Burnham told the BBC, referring to a Sept 27 bomb scare near the airbase in south-west England, which is used by the US military in its war against Iran.
“Of course, it remains an ongoing, complex and serious police investigation,” said the PM.
Iran’s embassy in London earlier said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” speculation that the Islamic republic was involved in the incident.
Police said on Sept 29 that no explosives were found at the scene.
The nature of the threat has not been explained by officials.
Burnham’s comments are the first official confirmation from the British authorities that Iran may have had a hand in the incident, which saw three white vans appearing to head towards RAF Fairford in the early hours of Sept 27.
A resident who rang the police said she saw a group of masked men near the vans, which were blocking a road in a village next to the military base.
Growing confusion
The case was plunged into confusion when the police released on bail five British men they had arrested on Sept 27 on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences.
After three days of investigations, including the use of a bomb disposal team, the police said on Sept 29 that they had found no explosives in the vehicles, but had retrieved a “quantity of petrol”.
Then, on Sept 30, The Times newspaper reported that the incident had been foiled after one of the five suspects tipped off the police before the group was apprehended.
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously indicated that intelligence bodies were aware of the suspects and that a foreign state could be involved, but British officials had not weighed in.
“We have been waiting to confirm what we could say, but we can now confirm our belief that Iran played a part,” Burnham told Sky News.
Britain giving the US the green light to use the airbase for defensive strikes drew Tehran’s ire and unease from some residents in the Gloucestershire countryside where the base is located. AFP