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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has responded directly to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s claim about RAF Fairford, pointing to the release of five suspects.
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Homes have been evacuated in Whelford, near RAF Fairford, and a major incident has been declared. Gloucestershire Police said several men had been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act. [1]
Evacuated residents were placed in a leisure centre while the investigation continued, police said. An Army specialist explosive ordnance disposal team was examining a number of vehicles, the BBC reported. [1]
RAF Fairford hosts the United States Air Force. What prompted the investigation, and whether the incident is connected to the airbase, remains unclear. [1]
One man is 23, three are 24 and one is 25, Counter Terrorism Policing said on 28 September. All five live in London. They were arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire the previous day on suspicion of explosives offences and were later also arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. [2] [3]
Police said the men were being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and that their custody had been extended until later on 28 September. A cordon remained in place near the scene. [2]
Investigators are still working to establish the men’s activities, what they knew and any motive, police said. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans urged people not to speculate about the incident’s geopolitical implications while that work continues. [2]
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a foreign actor was involved in the incident near RAF Fairford. Speaking on Fox News’s *Hannity* programme late on Monday, he called the situation serious but declined to give further details. [10]
Earlier on Monday, Britain’s head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, said investigators were examining whether the activity might have been carried out by proxies or by people working knowingly or unknowingly for a foreign state. Police described this as a possibility and named no country.
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The five British men arrested near the base on Sunday on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences were released on police bail on Monday. Police said they remained under investigation, with restrictions on their movement and contact with others. [7][2] Bloomberg reported that an unnamed UK official said no viable explosives were found at the arrest scene. [9]
Iran’s embassy in London said on Monday that it rejected suggestions of Iranian involvement in the incident near RAF Fairford. It condemned claims linking the country to the arrests of five men. [13] [17]
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately said the incident involved a “foreign actor”, but did not identify Iran as responsible. British counter-terrorism police have said they are considering whether anyone acted on behalf of a foreign state as one line of inquiry. [15] [7]
Gloucestershire Police said on Monday evening that residents of around 85 households advised to evacuate could return home, although a cordon remained around three vehicles. The cordon was still in place on Tuesday as officers examined the scene. The five men have been released on police bail and remain under investigation. [12] [14]
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” Iran played a part in Sunday’s incident near RAF Fairford, a British air base used by US forces. Speaking to the BBC, he said the police investigation was complex and ongoing, and that the UK was working closely with the US. He did not explain what led the government to suspect Iran. [18] [19]
Five men were arrested near the base on suspicion of explosives offences and subsequently on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. Police said they were keeping an open mind about possible explanations, including whether people might have acted on behalf of a foreign state. An examination of the vehicles found no improvised explosive devices, though petrol was recovered. [7]
The five men were released on police bail on Monday and remained under investigation in the latest police update. Iran’s embassy in London had rejected suggestions of a link to the arrests before Burnham spoke. [7] [20]
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK government believes Iran played a part in the RAF Fairford incident, citing “strong indications”. He declined to give details and said the police investigation was continuing. [24]
Five men arrested near the air base on suspicion of explosives offences and preparation of a terrorist act were released on police bail on 28 September. In an update the following day, police said they remained under investigation. Police had said they were keeping an open mind about possible foreign-state involvement. Examinations of vehicles found no improvised explosive devices, although petrol was recovered. [7]
Iran’s embassy in London had earlier rejected suggestions of a link to the arrests. Responding to Burnham’s comments, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was “barking up the wrong tree”, the BBC reported. [24] [27]
In a post on X on 30 September, Araghchi rejected Burnham’s assessment that Iran had played a part in the incident. Referring to the release of five suspects, he wrote: “You’re barking up the wrong tree.” His remarks were reproduced by Moneycontrol. [31]
Burnham told ITV News there were “strong indications” of an Iranian role, while stressing that the case remained a live police investigation. [32]
The five men were released on police bail, not cleared: Counter Terrorism Policing said on 29 September that they remained under investigation and were subject to strict conditions. [7]