The United States has announced the withdrawal of its B-1 strategic bombers from the British military base in Fairford, following the recent incident which led to the opening of an anti-terrorism investigation with several unclear aspects. London had reported "clear indications" of Iran's involvement in the affair - a circumstance denied by Tehran -, while Washington had spoken of the role of a "foreign actor". On September 27, the police intervened near the Fairford air base, in the south-west of England, after the presence of "three suspicious vehicles" was reported to the emergency services. A large area had been cordoned off and dozens of homes had been evacuated around the structure, used by the US army for "defensive operations" - as declared by London - in the context of the war waged by the United States against Iran. Inside the vehicles, the police reported that they had not found "any explosive devices", but rather petrol "in large quantities". “All American bombers deployed at the Fairford base have been transferred to their home bases in the United States,” the US Department of Defense said, without giving specific reasons. The US army had deployed at the base, in particular, B-1 Lancer supersonic strategic bombers, aircraft known for their vast range and high load capacity of missiles and bombs.
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Australian authorities have launched an investigation into the alleged links with Australia of the Flydubai co-pilot accused of assaulting the captain during a flight to Israel, in a case which is also being investigated in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has confirmed that the State of Victoria's Joint Counter Terrorism Team, made up of the AFP, local police and domestic intelligence service Asio, is verifying the man's links to the country after the media revealed his previous stay in Australia. According to the Australian press, the co-pilot, identified as Omani Hamam al Hammami, had obtained a student visa in 2014 and had studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017. Investigators are examining whether he may have become radicalized during that period. His visa would have been revoked in 2019 after interrupting his studies.
The accident occurred on board a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv with 174 people on board. According to the Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates, the co-pilot attacked the commander with an emergency ax in an attempt to take control of the plane, which lost around 4,300 meters of altitude in less than 30 seconds. Passengers and crew members managed to block the attacker, while the injured commander managed to access the cockpit and regain control of the aircraft, which was then diverted to Tabuk, in the north-west of Saudi Arabia, where he made an emergency landing.
The case has raised questions about airlines' security checks and staff selection procedures.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right exponent, announced the start of work on the construction of a park around a swimming pool located on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. The site in the Jordan Valley belongs to Palestinian farmer Saad Nemer. In June, however, Israeli settlers seized his irrigation pipeline and diverted water to fill the ancient pool, cutting off the water supply for his crops. Smotrich then pledged 3 million shekels ($1 million) for the development of "Herod's Pools".
In a post on X, the minister said that the works, which began on Sunday, are "aimed at conservation and accessibility to the public". “The settlement revolution continues!” he added.
Iran summoned the Norwegian ambassador to Tehran to protest what it called Oslo's "continued inaction" regarding "unauthorized" operations of Starlink, the satellite internet service, within Iranian territory, state television Press TV reported.
Mohammad Hassannejad Pirkoohi, director general of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, summoned Ambassador Paal Bjørnestad on Sunday to hand him an official note of protest. During the meeting, Pirkoohi accused the United States and Israel of systematically "abusing" Starlink, owned by American billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, "to promote interventionist agendas" against Iran. According to Iranian authorities, Norway has failed to comply with its legal obligations as a registrant state for Starlink services at the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU). “Based on decisions taken in recent years by the ITU Radio Regulatory Board (RRB), the Norwegian government has an obligation to take the necessary measures to prevent unauthorized Starlink transmissions within Iranian territory,” he said. He added that Norway had ignored repeated Iranian requests "to stop activities that compromise Iran's national security and territorial sovereignty."
The Pentagon has confirmed reports that the United States has withdrawn all B-1 bombers from Royal Air Force Fairford, the British air base where a suspicious crash had prompted the evacuation of nearby areas. A statement from a Pentagon official said: "We can now confirm that all US bombers that had been deployed at RAF Fairford have been redeployed to their home bases in the US." Police were called to the base in south-west England last Sunday after a farmer in the area reported a group of men engaged in suspicious activity. Investigators, however, found no explosives and the five British citizens living in London arrested in connection with the incident were released on bail.
