Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Britain was warned about an Iranian-sponsored attack before the incident at RAF Fairford. Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday evening local time, he implied that Israel had provided intelligence ahead of the event.
He told Sean Hannity: "You talked about this thing in Britain - you want to hear how absurd things are there? We gave the Brits the intel that there was going to be an attack and that it's an Iranian-sponsored attack and pretty much the next day they slapped sanctions on us. It's wild."
He did not confirm whether he was specifically referring to the alleged terror plot at RAF Fairford.
Arrests and bail
Five British nationals, all in their mid-20s, were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism near the military base over the weekend before being bailed under investigation on Monday. The Gloucestershire site has been used in recent months by American bombers after Sir Keir Starmer granted the US permission to use British bases for "defensive" strikes against Tehran during the Middle East war.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday, September 30: "There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but it remains an ongoing, complex and serious police investigation." He also said he "wouldn't hesitate" to recall Parliament over the incident if necessary.
Iranian response
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, seemingly took aim at Burnham after his comments. He posted on X: "I can confirm Iran's belief that releasing supposed terrorists working for foreign states really says it all. You're barking up the wrong tree."
US President Donald Trump also discussed the ongoing investigation, saying: "We're studying it. We're studying it very hard. Iran's got a lot of problems right now. They have no money. Their currency is dead. Their economy is dead. Their military is gone. They have no military. They have no navy. They have no air force. And their leaders are fighting for control. I think their leaders are fighting very strongly for control, but control of what? But we'll have an answer to that very quickly."
Police response and ongoing investigation
Head of UK counter-terrorism policing assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said on Tuesday that a police response was activated in the early hours of Sunday "due to a range of information that we received". Mr Taylor said the five suspects released on bail "remain under investigation" and "must adhere to very strict conditions".
Villagers living near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, dozens of whom were dramatically evacuated from their homes on Sunday morning, were slowly returning to normal on Tuesday. Police cordons near the base are expected to be completely lifted on Wednesday, and searches of the London homes of the five suspects are complete.
