(TNND) — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday there are “strong indications” that Iran played a part in a suspected terrorist plot near RAF Fairford, a U.S.-used airbase in England.
“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.
Burnham said the U.K. is working closely with U.S. officials and would provide more information “in due course.”
His comments follow Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement Tuesday that the incident “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor.” Trump had earlier said the suspects “might be” connected to Iran.
Iran’s Embassy in London on Monday denied any role in the incident, calling speculation linking Tehran to the five suspects “unfounded and malicious.” The embassy said the claims would fuel “Iranophobia propaganda” in the U.K. and that Iran reserved the right to pursue legal action over what it called misleading media narratives.
Metropolitan Police said officers detained the men Sunday after receiving a call from a nearby farmer about three suspicious vehicles that appeared to be traveling toward the Gloucestershire base.
British media reported Wednesday that one of the five suspects called 999, Britain’s emergency number, shortly before the arrests.
The Times and BBC reported that the call came nearly an hour before a local farmer reported seeing masked men and three white vans near RAF Fairford. The Times reported officers were already at the scene when the farmer made the later call and said investigators were examining why the suspect contacted police.
Police have said more than one piece of information prompted their response. “A police response was activated in the early hours of Sunday morning due to a range of information received, including a call from a member of the public about several vehicles acting suspiciously close to RAF Fairford,” Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said.
The five men — all British nationals and London residents aged 23 to 25 — were arrested on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act and preparation of a terrorist act, police said.
Taylor said officers found “no improvised explosive devices” in the vehicles, though “a quantity of petrol was recovered.”
FAIRFORD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: A B1 Lancer bomber sits on the tarmac at RAF Fairford on September 28, 2026 in Fairford, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The men were released on bail while the counterterrorism investigation continues, according to officials. No charges have been announced, and police have not publicly detailed the evidence behind the government’s assessment of Iranian involvement.
“To be very clear, this does not mean the investigation is over,” Taylor said. “They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others.”
Trump said during an announcement about a steel plant in Iowa that he was “surprised” British authorities released the suspects on bail, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “I wouldn’t have done that.”
RAF Fairford has been used by American bombers for strictly limited strikes against Iran under an agreement with former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has voiced opposition to the war.