Burnham Says There Are 'Strong Indications' Iran Was Involved
The Prime Minister has said the government believes Iran played a part in the incident at RAF Fairford, where five men were arrested and later bailed. “There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford,” he said, offering no further detail. Tehran denies any involvement, and its London embassy “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” what it called unfounded and malicious speculation.
A serving prime minister naming a foreign state while a criminal investigation is live and the suspects are on bail is unusual and legally delicate. If the attribution holds, it makes Fairford the first attempt to act on a threat Iran issued openly: the Gloucestershire base has been a United States Air Force forward operating location for decades, American bombers have flown from it to the Middle East since Britain approved a request to use it for what it called defensive strikes, and in July Tehran said “any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces”. What was found in the three vans was petrol, not explosives. The five are British nationals aged between 23 and 25, four living in Westminster and one in Camden, the searches of their homes are complete, and the cordon came down on Wednesday afternoon. On the bail decision the President openly questioned — “I would have said, don’t let them have bail” — the Prime Minister insisted on the “strictest possible bail conditions” and said the authorities “have this under the strongest grip and closest control”. Watch whether a Commons statement follows when MPs return on 12 October.