Israel claims Britain 'warned of Iranian attack' before RAF Fairford 'terror plot'
Britain were warned about an Iranian-sponsored attack before the RAF Fairford incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed. The leader spoke to Fox News on Wednesday evening local time, implying that intel was provided by Israel ahead of time. He told Sean Hannity: "You talked about this thing in Britain - you want to hear how absurd things are there? "We gave the Brits the intel that there was going to be an attack and that it's an Iranian-sponsored attack and pretty much the next day they slapped sanctions on us.
It's wild." He did not confirm whether he specifically referring to the alleged terror plot at RAF Fairford . Five British nationals, all in their mid-20s, were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism near the military base over the weekend before being bailed under investigation on Monday. The Gloucestershire site has been used in recent months by American bombers after Sir Keir Starmer granted the US permission to use British bases for “defensive” strikes against Tehran during the Middle East war.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article reports arrests on suspicion of explosives offences and calls it a 'terror plot', but never says what police actually found. The Independent reported that counter-terror police found petrol but no explosive devices in the vans. Without this, a reader believes a bomb was found at the base.
How we know
- The Independent reported“Counter-terror police have said a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices were found in the vans that sparked the security alert near the airbase.”Israel warned UK over ‘Iranian attack’ ahead of RAF Fairford incident, Netanyahu claims (opens in a new tab)
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article gives Netanyahu's line that Britain 'slapped sanctions on us' and calls it 'wild', but never says why the sanctions were imposed. The Independent reported they were a response to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law. Without this, a reader takes the sanctions as an arbitrary or ungrateful act, exactly as Netanyahu presents them.
How we know
- The Independent reported“The announcement of the sanctions last month, in response to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, sparked a diplomatic row between the Israeli and UK governments.”Israel warned UK over ‘Iranian attack’ ahead of RAF Fairford incident, Netanyahu claims (opens in a new tab)
- On the recordThe ICJ's July 2024 advisory opinion holds that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem is unlawful and the settlements illegal under international law.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
The PM said on Wednesday, September 30: “There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but it remains an ongoing, complex and serious police investigation.” He also said he “wouldn’t hesitate” to recall Parliament over the incident if necessary. Meanwhile, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, seemingly took aim at Burnham after his comments. He posted on X: "I can confirm Iran's belief that releasing supposed terrorists working for foreign states really says it all.
"You're barking up the wrong tree." US President Donald Trump did not hold back when discussing on the ongoing investigation, saying: “We’re studying it. We’re studying it very hard. Iran’s got a lot of problems right now. “They have no money. Their currency is dead. Their economy is dead. Their military is gone. They have no military. They have no navy. They have no air force. And their leaders are fighting for control. I think their leaders are fighting very strongly for control, but control of what?
But we’ll have an answer to that very quickly.” Head of UK counter-terrorism policing assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said on Tuesday that a police response was activated in the early hours of Sunday “due to a range of information that we received”. Mr Taylor said the five suspects released on bail “remain under investigation” and “must adhere to very strict conditions”. Villagers living near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, dozens of whom were dramatically evacuated from their homes on Sunday morning, were slowly returning to normal on Tuesday.
Police cordons near the base are expected to be completely lifted on Wednesday, and searches of the London homes of the five suspects are complete.
Read the original article on dailystar.co.uk (opens in a new tab)