Suspected terror plot linked to Iran at UK military base
LONDON — A suspected terror plot at a U.S.-run military air base in England was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday, reports BritPanorama.
Burnham previously indicated there are strong indications that Iran was linked to an apparent plan last month to attack the RAF Fairford air base, which has been used by American bombers to strike Iran in the ongoing war.
Seven men have been arrested in the investigation into the alleged plot, though all suspects have been released on bail and no one has been charged thus far.
Iran has denied involvement, although it has previously stated that it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target. “I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard,” Burnham told lawmakers. “We will not tolerate these threats on our soil.”
Residents near the air base were evacuated from their homes on September 27 as armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts conducted searches in the rural area. Authorities later reported finding a quantity of an accelerant — gasoline — in three vans linked to the initial five suspects arrested on the scene, although no explosives were discovered.
All detained suspects are in their 20s, with six identified as British nationals and one holding dual U.K.-Iranian citizenship. Following the incidents, the U.S. military announced the withdrawal of its bombers from RAF Fairford, approximately 100 miles west of London, stating that all American bombers based there had been redeployed to their home bases in the U.S.
The Trump administration previously indicated that the base faced Iranian threats aimed at inflicting casualties on American troops and damaging U.S. aircraft.
The British government sanctioned the use of RAF Fairford for U.S. military operations targeting Iranian missiles and launch sites, following Iranian attacks on U.K. interests and those of allies in the Gulf region.
On Monday, the British government summoned the Iranian ambassador to express its displeasure at “Iran’s continued attempts to undermine the security of the United Kingdom and international partners through its criminal networks, proxy groups and state-backed malign activity.”
Additionally, the U.K. imposed sanctions on two Iranians, including the head of counterespionage operations in the Revolutionary Guard.
Iran and affiliated militant groups have faced accusations of plotting or executing attacks on U.S., British, and Jewish targets, often through local proxies. In a joint statement released Monday, foreign ministers from over two dozen Western nations condemned Iranian attacks on their territories via proxies or other means.
“Anyone who conducts hostile activities on behalf of Iran, or any other state, should know that we will take action to identify, investigate, disrupt, and prosecute these acts,” the statement declared.
