Burnham Says There Are Strong Indications Iran Was Behind RAF Fairford Incident

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A US Air Force B-52 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
A US Air Force B-52H takes off from RAF Fairford in November 2024. The base in Gloucestershire is operated by the US military. (File photograph).

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there are "strong indications" that Iran played a part in the security incident that saw five men arrested near RAF Fairford at the weekend. The statement, made in a series of broadcast interviews on Wednesday, is the first time Britain has publicly pointed the finger at Tehran over the incident at the US-operated airbase in Gloucestershire.

"There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation," Burnham told the BBC. "And of course, we are working closely with our colleagues in the United States of America."

Key facts

  • Five British men in their 20s were arrested on Sunday near the perimeter of RAF Fairford on suspicion of explosives offences and planning an act of terror
  • Three vans were recovered nearby; counter-terrorism police say a quantity of petrol was found but no improvised explosive devices
  • All five men were released on bail on Monday and remain under investigation
  • Burnham told broadcasters: "There are strong indications that Iran played a part"; he added: "We will say more in due course"
  • Iran's embassy in London denies any involvement, calling the reports "unfounded and malicious speculations"
  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the incident "clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor"; President Donald Trump said the men "might be" connected to Iran

What the Prime Minister said

Burnham gave a round of interviews to British broadcasters on Wednesday, roughly 72 hours after the five arrests triggered a major counter-terrorism response in rural Gloucestershire. He declined to set out the basis for Britain's assessment, saying: "Obviously I wouldn't say it lightly," and added that he would "update people more in due course."

Asked about the US president's criticism of the decision to release the suspects on bail, Burnham insisted the investigation is firmly under control. "The authorities have this under, as I say, the strongest grip and the closest control, and I can assure you of that," he told the BBC. He said British officials had been "talking to counterparts in the United States all week to explain what is happening here, how things are being done."

"I have complete confidence in the way British security services are handling this," he added.

Speaking to Sky News, Burnham also said he "wouldn't hesitate" to recall Parliament over the incident if the situation required it. He chaired an emergency meeting of the government's Cobra crisis committee during the Labour Party conference earlier in the week.

Why Fairford matters

RAF Fairford, about 100 miles west of London, is operated by the United States military and has long served as a staging post for American heavy bombers. For decades the base has hosted US aircraft flying missions across the Middle East, including this year's war with Iran. CNN reported that US B-1 bombers have been flying missions against Iran from the base.

That makes Fairford one of the most strategically important military sites in Britain. The police cordon around the area was removed and the scene reopened on Wednesday.

How the weekend unfolded

The incident began early on Sunday when three vans, reportedly bearing lettering for an apparently fake company, were spotted on a country lane near the village of Whelford, close to the airbase. The Times reported that one of the men later arrested had himself called 999 about an hour before the arrests, though it is not known what he told the dispatcher.

A local farmer also raised the alarm after seeing masked men acting suspiciously. Armed police moved in and arrested five men, aged 23 to 25 and all from various areas of London, on suspicion of explosives offences and planning an act of terror. Around 85 households in the surrounding area were evacuated while bomb-disposal and counter-terrorism teams examined the vehicles.

On Monday all five suspects were released on bail. Laurence Taylor, the head of British counter-terror policing, said the decision was "grounded in experience and careful consideration of policing powers." In a briefing on Tuesday, he told reporters that no improvised explosive devices had been found in the vans, though a quantity of petrol was recovered, and that one line of inquiry was whether the suspected offences were committed by "proxies or individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state."

Iran denies any involvement

Iran has strongly denied any part in the incident. Its embassy in London said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Tehran to the events at Fairford. Tehran has previously said it regards any base used to attack its territory as a legitimate target, according to the Associated Press.

The Wall Street Journal reported that US officials believe Iran is the most likely culprit, citing an official familiar with the intelligence who said American officials were aware of an Iran-linked plot to attack bomber aircraft and personnel at the base. The report described a branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps recruiting UK nationals, and said such a move would mark a significant escalation. These are reported claims from a single unnamed official and have not been independently confirmed.

Transatlantic friction over the bail decision

The White House has openly questioned how Britain handled the suspects. President Trump said of the bail decision: "I wouldn't have done that," and claimed the men intended to do "serious damage" to the base, which he said houses around a dozen heavy US bombers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a lot of people were "disturbed" by the move and described the suspected plot as "clearly involving the hand of a foreign actor."

Burnham's interviews on Wednesday appeared designed to steady that relationship, emphasising that British officials have been in constant contact with their American counterparts and that British security services have the case under control.

What is known and what is not

Known: Five British men in their 20s were arrested near RAF Fairford on Sunday; no explosives were found but petrol was recovered from three vans; all five were bailed on Monday; the Prime Minister says Britain has "strong indications" Iran was involved; Iran denies it; British and US officials are jointly investigating.

Not yet known: What the five men were planning to do; what evidence, if any, links Iran to the incident; why one suspect called the police before the arrests; whether charges will be brought; what the intelligence picture looks like on either side of the Atlantic.

What happens next

The counter-terrorism investigation continues, with the five suspects bailed but still under investigation. Burnham has promised to "update people more in due course" and has kept open the option of recalling Parliament if the situation develops. Whatever emerges from the investigation, a prime minister publicly accusing Iran of involvement in a suspected attack on a US bomber base in England is a serious escalation in the tensions that have been building around British and American bases since the war with Iran began.

Related articles

Sources

  • Associated Press (Jill Lawless), 30 September 2026: UK says there are "strong indications" Iran played a part in the security incident at a US-run air base
  • CNN, 30 September 2026: UK says "strong indication" Iran was involved in incident at air base housing US forces
  • Wall Street Journal, 30 September 2026: UK says it has "strong indications" Iran is linked to the foiled attack on the air base
  • Press Association (Nina Lloyd), 30 September 2026: broadcast interview quotes, Cobra meeting and Parliament recall remarks
  • The Times / PA reporting on weekend events: 999 call, vehicle searches, petrol recovered
  • Iranian embassy in London statement denying involvement (reported by CNN)

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