British Prime Minister Andy Burnham: ‘Strong indications’: UK PM says Iran may have played part in suspicious incident near RAF Fairford

A police officer stands guard at a road closure outside the perimeter of the RAF Fairford airbase, in Gloucestershire, Britain (Picture credit: Reuters)

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday said there were “strong indications” that Iran played a part in a suspicious incident near RAF Fairford in southwest England, where five men were arrested after three vans were found near the US-run military airbase.The incident took place early on Sunday and triggered a major security response, including a bomb disposal operation.Police later said no explosives were found in the vehicles, although they recovered a quantity of petrol.The five British men, who were arrested on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences, were subsequently released on bail and remain under investigation.

UK sees possible Iranian involvement

“There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford,” Burnham told the BBC, referring to the incident near the airbase.“Of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation,” he added.Burnham also told Sky News that British authorities had been waiting to establish what they could confirm before commenting on possible Iranian involvement.“We have been waiting to confirm what we could say, but we can now confirm our belief that Iran played a part,” he said.The comments marked the first official confirmation from UK authorities that Iran may have been involved in the incident. Burnham said British and US officials were working closely on the investigation and that he would provide further information in due course.Iran’s embassy in London has “categorically” rejected and “strongly” condemned speculation that it was involved.

Five men arrested, later released on bail

Five British men in their 20s were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of explosives offences and planning an act of terrorism. They were released on bail after several days of investigation.Police said on Tuesday that no explosives had been found in the three vans, although officers recovered a “quantity of petrol”.The incident began after three white vans were seen apparently heading towards RAF Fairford in the early hours of Sunday. A local resident who contacted police said she had seen a group of masked men near the vehicles, which were blocking a road in a village next to the base.UK counter-terrorism chief Laurence Taylor said the suspects remained under investigation and that authorities were examining whether the suspected offences were committed by “proxies or individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state”.The Times newspaper reported on Wednesday that the incident had been foiled after one of the five suspects allegedly tipped off police before the group was apprehended.

Why RAF Fairford is significant

RAF Fairford is a US-run military base around 100 miles (160 kilometres) west of London. It has been used by American bombers during conflicts in the Middle East, including this year’s war with Iran.Britain had allowed the US to use RAF Fairford for defensive strikes against Iran, a decision that has drawn criticism from Tehran and concern among some residents in the Gloucestershire area.Iran has previously warned London against allowing its military bases to be used by Washington and has said that any base used to attack Iranian territory would be considered a legitimate target.

US raises questions over bail decision

The arrests came amid heightened tensions over the threat posed by hostile states. Burnham said British authorities had been in contact with US officials throughout the week to explain how the investigation and bail decision were being handled.US President Donald Trump had criticised the decision to release the suspects on bail, saying, “I wouldn’t have done that”. US secretary of state Marco Rubio also said many people were “disturbed” by the decision.Burnham said British authorities had the investigation under “the strongest grip and the closest control”.“I have complete confidence in the way British security services are handling this,” he told the BBC.The investigation remains ongoing, with officials yet to explain what the suspects were allegedly planning or provide further details on the basis for the suspected Iranian involvement.