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UK PM Burnham Blames Iran's IRGC for RAF Fairford Incident
Confirmed
In Short: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was likely behind a security incident near RAF Fairford.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford air base in Britain was “highly likely” to have been coordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), Internazionale (Italy), The Guardian, Belfast Telegraph (United Kingdom), and London Now (United Kingdom).
The RAF Fairford base in southwest England, which had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, became the focal point for a major security response after five British men were arrested nearby in the early hours of September 27 on suspected terrorism and explosive offences, as reported by Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), Internazionale (Italy), and https://aapnews.aap.com.au/ (Australia).
Tehran has rejected any suggestion it was involved in the Fairford incident, saying it amounted to “unfounded and malicious speculations,” according to Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), https://aapnews.aap.com.au/ (Australia), and The Times of Israel (Israel).
Burnham told parliament, “I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been co-ordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC),” according to https://aapnews.aap.com.au/ (Australia).
The UK and US issued a joint statement with 27 other foreign ministers condemning Iran’s use of violent attacks, according to POLITICO.eu. The statement said, “those responsible are held to account,” and the UK will bring further sanctions against Tehran and the IRGC after assessing Iran’s likely coordination in the incident.
The incident was followed by the withdrawal of 12 B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford, amid reports that the US was concerned about a possible drone attack on a base it had used to attack Iran, according to The Guardian.
Counter Terrorism Policing said the man was arrested Thursday afternoon in Westminster under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act in connection with the investigation into events near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, according to Thebureau and Thepavlovictoday.
Police declared a major incident Sunday in a village near the air base following the arrest of five men in their 20s suspected of offenses under the Explosives Act, prompting the evacuation of 85 households, according to En.
The five detained men were later released without charge on police bail “under stringent conditions,” and two other arrested men, including a British-Iranian national, have also been released, according to Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), Internazionale (Italy), and The Times of Israel (Israel).
The statement noted that the RAF Fairford plot comes after a “campaign of attacks across Europe targeting Jewish communities, Iranian journalists, and US interests,” according to The Times of Israel (Israel).
The UK’s security services have “strong indications” of Iranian involvement in the incident at a British Royal Air Force (RAF) station near Fairford, according to Al Jazeera (Qatar).
What this adds
The incident near RAF Fairford has led to increased scrutiny and condemnation of Iran's actions, with multiple countries issuing statements and taking steps to address the threat. The arrest of a 22-year-old man in London on Tuesday deepens the investigation into possible foreign state involvement, aligning with previous statements from Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Background
British police made a seventh arrest on Tuesday in connection with an incident near RAF Fairford, a US military airbase in Gloucestershire, UK.
What's confirmed
- LONDON: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford air base in Britain was “highly likely” to have been coordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- “The UK has also concluded this event demonstrates the IRGC’s continued willingness to project hostile activity beyond its borders through covert networks and proxy actors,” the statement said.
- Tehran has rejected any suggestion it was involved in the Fairford incident, saying it amounted to “unfounded and malicious speculations.” Details around the suspected plot remain thin.
- The RAF Fairford base in southwest England, which had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, became the focal point for a major security response after five British men were arrested nearby in the early hours of September 27 on suspected terrorism and explosive offences.
- "We will not tolerate these threats on our soil," Burnham said.
- LONDON — There are strong indications Tehran played a part in a security incident outside a British air base that U.S. forces use to facilitate strikes on Iran, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday.
- In July, Britain used new powers to ban support for the IRGC and a linked group, Harakat Ashab Al-Yamin Al-Islamiya (HAYI), which had claimed responsibility for seven attacks earlier this year at locations linked to Jewish and Israeli communities, and Persian-language media.
- However, both police and Burnham have pointed toward the involvement of a foreign state.
- The two men were Ruhollah Bazghandi, who Britain said was the IRGC’s Head of Counterespionage Operations, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, a facilitator for the already sanctioned Zindashti criminal network which is accused of involvement in several plots against Iranian dissidents.
- The five detained men were later released without charge on police bail “under stringent conditions,” and two other arrested men, including a British-Iranian national, have also been released.
- Last year Britain said there had been 20 credible Iranian-backed threats to kill or kidnap individuals based in the UK.
- By David Hughes, Nick Lester and George Lithgow, Press Association The US and UK have led international condemnation of Iran after Andy Burnham said it was “highly likely” Tehran was behind the RAF Fairford incident.
What's still developing
- “As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles—including possible foreign state involvement.” The arrest appears to deepen the same investigation that began early Sunday morning, when armed police detained five British men after receiving information about three suspicious vehicles apparently travelling toward RAF Fairford.
- His statement followed comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said earlier in the week that the incident “ clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor. ” Counterterrorism police have been more cautious, saying investigators are examining whether individuals may have acted knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state.
- Notably, the UK administration had allowed the US to use RAF Fairford base to attack Iranian missile sites that were hitting ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
- We remain committed to investigating all possible angles," she said. Five men were arrested near the base on Sept. 27 after a farmer reported three suspicious vans, and a British-Iranian national was arrested on Oct. 1. Police found a quantity of petrol in the vans but no explosives. The Pentagon confirmed Sunday that all U.S. bombers deployed to RAF Fairford had returned to their home stations in the United States. Asked whether a specific threat prompted the move, Trump said Monday: "Yeah, I think we can say that.
- B ritish counterterrorism police arrested a 22-year-old man in London on Tuesday on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, the seventh arrest in the probe into a suspected plot against RAF Fairford.
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