Former envoy states newly ruined UK warplanes are foreign assets
(MENAFN) The Royal Air Force (RAF) warplanes recently targeted by pro-Palestinian activists are not owned by the British government but by a US-based hedge fund, according to former UK ambassador and human rights activist Craig Murray. Speaking to RT on Sunday, Murray alleged that the aircraft are leased by the RAF from Airtanker Ltd., a company allegedly controlled by a network of shell entities ultimately linked to Polygon Global Partners LLP, a hedge fund based in the United States.
In June, activists from Palestine Action infiltrated Brize Norton—Britain’s largest airbase—and sprayed red paint into the engines of two Voyager aircraft. The group described the act as a protest against UK involvement in Israel’s military operations in Gaza. British officials have promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Murray, who once served as ambassador to Uzbekistan and is associated with WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, stated that nine of the 14 Voyagers are permanently in RAF service, while the remaining five are sometimes leased to foreign militaries—including, he claims, the Israeli military.
According to Murray, some of these aircraft have frequently flown to the RAF’s Akrotiri base in Cyprus, which serves as a key support hub for Israeli operations in Gaza. He added that UK officials have avoided clarifying whether these flights are connected to support for Israel.
He also criticized the financial arrangement, claiming the British taxpayer is being overcharged, with the government paying five times the actual value of the aircraft under a contract that runs until 2049.
Following the incident, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced efforts to classify Palestine Action as a terrorist organization and ban it.
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