British PM says Iran played a role in suspected terror attack at Fairford base

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in an exclusive interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on September 30 that the British government determined that Iran "played a certain role" in the suspected terrorist attack that occurred at RAF Fairford. The base is about 145 kilometers away from London and is currently providing US bombers for use in military operations against Iran.

The New York Times reported that Bonnen said: "There are strong indications that Iran was involved in what happened at Fairford Base over the weekend. This remains an ongoing, complex and serious police investigation, and we are working closely with our American colleagues."

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The security incident occurred in the early morning of the 27th. The police arrested five British men near the base on suspicion of violating explosives regulations and anti-terrorism laws. The authorities then dispatched explosion-proof robots to conduct a blanket search of the three white vans used by the men, and evacuated more than 85 surrounding houses in an emergency and preventive manner.

However, authorities confirmed on September 29 that no explosives were found in the car and only an unknown amount of gasoline was seized. The five men were released on bail on the 28th.

The incident is still full of doubts. The police said that they received a report from local residents at 1:36 a.m. on the 27th and found a suspicious man wearing a mask. However, about 50 minutes before that, the police had actually received another call reporting that three suspicious vehicles were driving towards the base. The Times, BBC and other British media quoted sources as saying that the police determined that the first call to report the case was most likely made by one of the five men involved in the case who was subsequently arrested.

In response to external doubts, Bonan did not further disclose the specific information and basis for identifying Iran's involvement in the case in the exclusive interview. He only emphasized: "We will provide more details at the appropriate time, but we can confirm that the government has determined that Iran plays a certain role in it. Of course, I will not make such a statement lightly." He also expressed full trust in the professional handling of the British security agencies.

Before Bonan made the above remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly pointed out on the 28th that the base incident was involved with foreign forces. Although Rubio did not directly name specific countries at the time, he specifically emphasized: "Take Iran as an example. They have publicly threatened to attack U.S. interests around the world. We always take such threats extremely seriously."

The Iranian Embassy in the United Kingdom issued a statement on the 28th, strongly refuting and condemning the relevant accusations, claiming that some British individuals and media attempted to link the arrest of five suspects near the Fairford base to Iran, which was purely "baseless and malicious speculation." Tehran authorities firmly denied this.