British President Burnham Repeats Iran Claim About Incident Near RAF Fairford Base

In his statement to the BBC, Burnham made a statement regarding the incident that took place near Fairford Air Base, used by the US army.

British Prime Minister Burnham said, "There are strong indications that Iran played a role in what happened at RAF Fairford over the weekend." he said.

Pointing out the importance of the investigation, Burnham stated that they are working in close contact with US officials.

Burnham stated that the ruling Labor Party, of which he is the leader, held an Emergency Cabinet Meeting (COBRA) on the issue during its annual conference in Liverpool.

Emphasizing that the Gloucestershire Police and the UK Counter-Terrorism Police worked exceptionally well after the incident in question, Burnham underlined that they would make more statements in the future.

"We can confirm that we believe Iran played a role," Prime Minister Burnham said. made his assessment.

"The suspects are kept under very close control"

In her response to a question about US President Donald Trump's criticism of the release of suspects, Burnham said:

"People need to understand that when you say 'He was released' it's not what people might think. This was, of course, with the strictest possible bail conditions. The authorities have the strongest grasp of this and they keep (them) under very close control. I can assure you of that."

Some houses next to the air base were evacuated on suspicion of explosives

85 houses in the village of Whelford, next to the Fairford Base in the Gloucestershire region of England, were evacuated on Sunday, September 27, due to the presence of 3 suspicious vehicles in the area.

While 5 British citizens in their 20s were detained in the vehicles, bomb disposal teams affiliated with the British army were assigned to the region. British officials, who emphasized the risk of a terrorist attack on the base, stated that the allegations of Iranian connection behind the incident were being examined.

Iran's Embassy in London rejected the allegations that the 5 people detained near the US base were linked to Iran.

British police announced on September 28 that 5 people detained near the base on suspicion of "preparing a terrorist act" would be released on bail, but that the investigation was continuing.

US military warplanes have been using Fairford Base since February 28, when Israel and the US launched their attacks on Iran.

While the UK states that this base is used by the USA for defensive purposes, think tanks such as Chatham House and independent analysts also claim that the base is used for offensive purposes.

*Photo: AP, representative