The United Kingdom government believes Iran was involved in an incident at RAF Fairford that resulted in the arrest of five men, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced. "We will say more in due course but we can confirm... that we believe Iran to have played a part," Burnham told the BBC. He did not offer further details.
The five men, all UK nationals aged between 23 and 25, were arrested early Sunday morning after police responded to reports of "three suspicious vehicles" in Whelford, a village adjacent to the air base. Searches of their homes in Westminster and Camden have been completed. Police stated that a quantity of petrol, but no explosive devices, was found in the vehicles.
Burnham addressed the decision to release the men on bail, a move questioned by U.S. President Donald Trump. "I think people need to understand that when it says released - that isn't as people might think," Burnham said. "It's obviously with the strictest possible bail conditions." He assured the public that "the authorities have this under the strongest grip and closest control."
Speaking from the White House on Monday, President Trump commented, "I will tell you, I would have said, 'don't let them have bail'. I'm surprised that they released them. I wouldn't have done that."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also suggested foreign involvement, stating on Monday that the incident "clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor." In an interview with Fox News, Rubio added, "I think it ties us to the reality here, and that is we are dealing with elements in the world, and in the case of Iran, for example, who have openly threatened to attack American interests globally."
Burnham confirmed that the UK government has been in communication with its U.S. counterparts throughout the week to explain the unfolding situation and the handling of the investigation. He expressed "complete confidence in the way British security services are handling this," emphasizing that it remains an "ongoing, complex and serious police investigation" and that cooperation with U.S. agencies is robust.
RAF Fairford has served as a forward operating location for the U.S. Air Force for decades. In recent months, U.S. bombers have departed from the base for missions in the Middle East, following UK approval for U.S. requests for defensive strikes against Iran. In July, Iran had stated that "any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces."
The Iranian embassy in London has categorically rejected and strongly condemned any "unfounded and malicious speculations" that link Iran to the recent incident.