Andy Burnham has said he will chair a Cobra meeting this afternoon (Monday, 28 September) on the suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford over the weekend.
Five men - all British nationals aged in their 20s and from London - were arrested in the early hours of Sunday (27 September) in the village of Whelford. They have since been released on bail.
Details of the incident
A motorist dialled 999 after she saw three vans and a group of masked men near the base, and dozens of homes had to be evacuated as bomb disposal teams were called in.
Police are understood to be investigating if any potential plot could be linked to Iran, which has used proxies to carry out crimes on British soil in the past.
Prime Minister's response
Speaking to LBC's Shelagh Fogarty at the Labour party conference in Liverpool, the Prime Minister said he wanted to get the "full picture" on what had happened at the base used by the British and US air forces in Gloucestershire.
Mr Burnham said: "I want to thank the police, the Gloucestershire Police, the security services, the emergency services, the public who alerted us, so thank you to everybody for the way that they’ve worked."
He added: "What I can say is that I will chair a meeting of Cobra later this afternoon just to make sure we have the full picture, the full situation very clearly in our sights and so maybe we’ll say more about that later today."
US President's comments
Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that authorities already had the suspects under investigation. The US President told reporters alleged plotters were "looking to do big damage" to the airbase.
He added: "It was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job."
Police investigation
Police say they are considering "every possible angle" in their investigation into what happened at RAF Fairford, including whether it was carried out by proxies or individuals working on behalf of a foreign state.
Speaking at New Scotland Yard, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said he knows there is "significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident". "At counter-terrorism policing, we are working within this context every single day, and at this stage, we are keeping an open mind in this investigation," he said. "We have, as you would expect, ensured that our protective security advice and posture remain commensurate to the threat."
Mr Taylor continued: "But be assured, we are considering this from every possible angle, including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state."
"To respond to incidents such as these, rapid mobilisation is necessary, as we cannot take the risk whilst assessing that threat. However, once we understand the threat more clearly, we seek to return affected communities to normality as quickly as possible."
