Burnham says Iran's Revolutionary Guards almost certainly directed Fairford terror plot
The UK prime minister told the Commons the plot was probably coordinated in Iran, while London sanctioned two Iranian officials and summoned Iran's ambassador.
Burnham's assessment in the Commons
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told MPs on Monday, 12 October, that the suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford was highly likely coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The incident, which British authorities have described as an attempted terrorist attack, took place in late September near the Gloucestershire airbase used by the United States. Burnham had pointed to the same theory before, but on Monday he was more forceful in his accusations against Tehran. He said the government would use its full range of powers against Iranian criminal networks in Britain and their funding streams.
I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been co-ordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
Burnham also warned that the UK would not accept such threats on its territory.
We will not tolerate these threats on our soil.
Sanctions and diplomatic response
On Monday the UK announced sanctions against two Iranian nationals, one of them a senior Revolutionary Guard official. Ruholá Bazghandi is the head of counter-espionage operations in the Revolutionary Guard, while Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadé Jakki is accused of working for the Zindashti network, a criminal group linked to transnational repression, including killings abroad. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said in a statement that both men now appear on the UK's sanctions list for facilitating or taking part in hostile activities on behalf of the Iranian regime. He said they were listed for their role in threatening, planning or carrying out attacks abroad. Miliband also ordered Iran's ambassador to London, Ali Mousavi, to be summoned so the message could be delivered in full. Tehran rejects any involvement in the case.
Arrests and bail
Five men were detained near the base early on 27 September, a Sunday, on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences, and The Independent describes them as British citizens from London in their 20s. The five were later released on bail without formal charge, and police said they were examining whether a foreign state was involved. Two more men were arrested later in the investigation, bringing the total to seven suspects: six British citizens and one British citizen who also holds Iranian citizenship. Some reports describe all seven as accused of preparing a terrorist attack, but Diário de Notícias reports that all were released on bail and that nobody has been formally charged.
- Five British men in their 20s detained near RAF Fairford on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences
- Two more men arrested, bringing the total to seven suspects
- Burnham tells MPs the plot was almost certainly directed by the IRGC, and the UK sanctions two Iranians
Washington's earlier warnings
Donald Trump said in the week of 5 October that a threat linked to Iran had prompted the withdrawal of US B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford. US officials told Reuters that they suspected an Iran-linked plan to carry out a drone attack. Libertatea reports that the Revolutionary Guard had threatened the base several months earlier, given its use by US forces for operations in Iran. The sanctions and the summoning of the ambassador are the latest steps in a dispute that London now links directly to Tehran's security services.
