British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in an interview with the BBC that there are "strong indications that Iran was involved" in the security incident recorded over the weekend at the Fairford air base, in western England. Burnham did not say what that assessment rests on, and described the investigation as "complex, serious and ongoing".
The base, operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), hosts US B-1 bombers used in operations against Iran.
What is known about the weekend
Five Britons aged between 23 and 25 were detained in the early hours of Sunday near the base. Police found three vans parked oddly and hooded, masked people nearby; the vehicles held petrol, but no explosives were found.
According to the reporting, the initial alert came from a local farmer, who saw the masked men near the vans and called the police. One of the suspects is reported to have contacted the police around an hour before the arrests.
The five were released on bail on Monday, under strict movement restrictions. Burnham stressed that the release does not mean the case is closed, and Counter Terrorism Policing, the British counter-terrorism structure, indicated that further details would be made public as proceedings advance.
Tehran denies it, Washington speaks of a "foreign actor"
Iran's embassy in London categorically rejected any involvement and called the accusations "baseless and malicious" speculation aimed at feeding propaganda against the country. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said London was "barking up the wrong tree".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the case "clearly bore the hallmarks of a foreign actor", without naming Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had warned the United Kingdom in advance about a possible Iranian-sponsored attack.
What has not been explained
So far, the material that supports the attribution to Iran has not been made public, nor has what the detainees were planning — whether they intended to attack the base, and whether they were acting with knowledge of whoever may have directed them. Nor has it been explained how the initial alert that led to the police operation came about. There were no injuries and no damage recorded at the base.
The public attribution of responsibility by a government before evidence is presented is the sensitive point in this case: it comes with the investigation under way and the suspects free on bail.
With information from Al Jazeera and IranWire, which cite the prime minister's interview with the BBC.
