Police officers stand at a checkpoint near RAF Fairford air base, in Fairford, England, on Sept. 29, 2026. AP Photo/Alastair Grant
The UK believes Iran played a part in a suspected terrorist plot last weekend at an airbase in England used by the U.S. Air Force, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Sept. 30.
“There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford,” Burnham told the BBC Wednesday.
The prime minister said the complex and serious police investigation into the incident that involved the arrest of five British citizens was ongoing.
Gloucestershire police and British counter terrorism detectives were working with U.S. colleagues on the case, according to the prime minister.
“We will say more in due course, but we can confirm our belief that we believe Iran played a part,” Burnham said.
National Counter Terrorism Policing detectives were tipped off about three vans that were seen heading toward the military airfield Sunday, the agency reported Tuesday.
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The base has been the site of protests by anti-war activists in the past and used by Americans for decades, including during this year’s conflict with Iran.
Five British men were arrested near the base Sunday night and faced explosives and terror charges. The men, who haven’t been publicly identified by the police, were released on bail Monday.
Detectives searched the vans driven by the suspects. No bombs were located, but they did find flammable materials, National Counter Terrorism Policing said.
“Those vehicles have been subject to extensive examination, with the support of military assets and forensic experts, and we can confirm that no improvised explosive devices were found,” the agency stated. “However, a quantity of petrol was recovered.”
The suspects were released but are still under investigation and must adhere to strict conditions, according to police.
UK authorities said the men were British nationals from London in their 20s.
Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers his Leader’s Speech during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, England, on Sept. 29, 2026. AP Photo/Jon Super
The female farmer who called in the tip to authorities Sunday spoke with an independent news reporter about the sighting. She said she witnessed a “large group of men” who started to run into a field toward the air base, noting there were more than five and may have been as many as 10 in the group that were dressed the same and had their faces covered.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in July that RAF Fairford was one of several airbases in the UK that were legitimate targets.
A B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Fairford, England, on Sept. 29, 2026. AP Photo/Alastair Grant
The Iranian Embassy in the UK released a statement rejecting the reports by media and British officials linking Iran to the five arrested in the RAF Fairford base incident.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, as necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and damaging media narratives,” the embassy posted on X.
