Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday that Britain has “strong indications” Iran played a part in the incident near RAF Fairford that led to the arrests of five men as part of a terrorism investigation, marking the clearest public attribution yet from the British government.
“We have strong indications that Iran played a part but it is still a live investigation,” Burnham said, adding that he had spent part of his time at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool dealing with the case and holding a Cobra emergency meeting.
His statement moves the British government closer to the assessment already expressed publicly by Washington.
As The Pavlovic Today reported Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor,” while declining at the time to identify the country involved. Rubio Says RAF Fairford Plot ‘Clearly Involves the Hands of a Foreign Actor’
“What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation,” Rubio said. “It’s one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor.”
British authorities had not publicly identified a foreign state before Burnham’s remarks Wednesday.
The investigation began Sunday after five British men in their 20s were arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, a British military airfield used by the U.S. Air Force.
The Pavlovic Today reported that counterterrorism police were examining whether proxies or individuals working knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state could have been involved, while investigators cautioned against speculation about geopolitical connections. RAF Fairford Terror Probe: Five British Men Arrested Near U.S. Air Force Base
The men were initially arrested on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act and later on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.
A bomb disposal team examined vehicles connected to the incident. No explosive devices were found, although investigators recovered a quantity of gasoline.
All five men have since been released on police bail while the investigation continues.
President Donald Trump had also spoken publicly about the case shortly after the arrests.
As The Pavlovic Today reported Sunday, Trump said the United States had been working with Britain and claimed the suspects had been “looking to do big damage to our ports.” Trump Reacts To UK Arrests Near RAF Fairford
The circumstances surrounding what happened near RAF Fairford remain unclear.
One of the five men arrested reportedly called police before the arrests, while a local resident also contacted authorities after becoming suspicious of activity near the base.
The investigation remains in its early stages and stretches across borders. British intelligence agency GCHQ and the U.S. National Security Agency are examining evidence, while investigators are also looking at possible links to domestic organized crime groups that foreign intelligence services have used in the past.
The immediate focus remains on what happened near RAF Fairford and why. But after Burnham’s remarks Wednesday, attention is also turning to how the British government may respond if investigators establish an Iranian role.
REALTED
Rubio Says RAF Fairford Plot ‘Clearly Involves the Hands of a Foreign Actor’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday night that a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor,” while declining to identify who was behind the incident. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News, Rubio described what happened near the air base, which is used…
RAF Fairford Terror Probe: Five British Men Arrested Near U.S. Air Force Base
Five men arrested in a suspected explosives plot near RAF Fairford are all British nationals in their 20s from London, counterterrorism police said Monday, as investigators worked to establish a motive and cautioned against speculation about possible geopolitical connections. The disclosure provides new details about the suspects detained Sunday near the British military air base,…
