Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Britain received advance warning of an Iranian-sponsored attack prior to the RAF Fairford incident. The Israeli leader spoke to Fox News on Wednesday evening local time, suggesting that intelligence had been shared by Israel beforehand.
Netanyahu's claims on Fox News
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."
Netanyahu stopped short of confirming whether he was specifically referring to the alleged terror plot at RAF Fairford.
Arrests and investigation
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 base has been utilised 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 conflict.
Prime Minister's response
The PM stated 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 further added that he "wouldn't hesitate" to recall Parliament to address the incident should it prove necessary.
Meanwhile, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, appeared to respond to Burnham's remarks by posting 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 and UK reactions
US President Donald Trump spoke bluntly about the continuing investigation, stating: "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."
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK counter-terrorism policing, revealed on Tuesday that officers were mobilised during the early hours of Sunday "due to a range of information that we received". Mr Taylor confirmed the five suspects released on bail "remain under investigation" and "must adhere to very strict conditions".
Residents of villages near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, scores of whom were urgently evacuated from their properties on Sunday morning, were gradually returning to normality on Tuesday. Police cordons surrounding the base are anticipated to be fully removed on Wednesday, while searches of the London properties belonging to the five suspects have been concluded.
