Britain summons Iranian ambassador over incident near RAF Fairford — France 24
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband summoned Iranian Ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may have been involved in an incident near RAF Fairford air base in England. As France 24 reports, Burnham told parliament that the suspected plan to attack the base was highly likely coordinated in Iran and was almost certainly directed by the IRGC.
Tehran denies involvement
Iran rejected the accusations. Ambassador Mousavi, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA agency, said that Tehran was not involved in the matter and called on the British government to provide documents or evidence to support its claims.
RAF Fairford air base in southwest England was used by US bombers for strikes on Iran. On the morning of September 27, five British citizens were detained near the base on suspicion of terrorism offences and explosives-related offences. US officials told Reuters that there were suspicions of an Iranian-linked plan to carry out a drone attack. US President Donald Trump said last week that an Iran-related threat was the reason for withdrawing the bombers from the base.
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Detainees released on bail
The five detainees were later released without charge on police bail under strict conditions. Two other men, including a British-Iranian citizen, were also released. Investigators said petrol was found in the seized vans, but no viable explosives were discovered. At the same time, police and Burnham pointed to the possible involvement of a foreign state.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told parliament that a person known to the authorities and based in Iran was likely behind what happened. The foreign ministries of nearly 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, France and Germany, condemned in a joint statement Iran’s use of violent attacks, including lethal plots, arson, sabotage, cyberattacks and other hybrid actions.
