London: Prime Minister Andy Burnham Wednesday said the UK believes that Iran played a part in the incident near a Royal Air Force (RAF) base in a south-west England village, being investigated by the country’s counter-terrorism police.
Five British nationals in their 20s were arrested Sunday after police responded to a call in Whelford village near RAF Fairford and have since been released on bail.
The air base hosts a large number of US Air Force personnel and operations, with US President Donald Trump questioning the bail granted to the suspects.
“There is indeed a strong indication that Iran played a part,” Burnham told reporters.
“This remains, though, a complex and very serious police investigation. So, I can’t say any more at this stage. I did chair COBRA (Cabinet Office Briefing Room A emergency meeting) Monday. We have been waiting to confirm what we could say, but we can now confirm our belief that Iran played a part,” he said.
Iran has previously strongly denied any involvement, with its embassy in London labelling it “Iranophobia”.
Asked why the five arrested men were granted bail given the seriousness of the case, Burnham said: “I think people need to understand that when it says released – that isn’t as people might think. It’s obviously with the strictest possible bail conditions.”
“The authorities have this under the strongest grip and closest control, and I can assure you of that,” he added.
Meanwhile, ‘The Times’ reported that one of the five suspects arrested was found to have contacted the authorities himself around an hour before the incident over the weekend.
The UK’s counter-terror police, which is leading the investigation, said Tuesday that no explosive devices had been found in the vans stopped near the base, but that a quantity of petrol was recovered.
RAF Fairford has been used in recent months by the US military to launch airstrikes against Iran.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had claimed the incident “clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor”, without providing further details.
The incident in Gloucestershire followed veiled threats against the “British monarchy regime” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in July.
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