A SCOTTISH airport has been mentioned in a “war crimes” report made to Metropolitan Police, The National can reveal.
The Scottish Government-owned Prestwick Airport played host to an Israeli Air Force plane, which may have been transporting arms or other military supplies from the US to Israel via Scotland, on November 18 last year.
The revelation has sparked fierce criticism of Prestwick Airport, which was accused of being treated “like an American military airbase”.
Now, The National can reveal the airport has been mentioned in one of scores of war crime reports being assessed by specialist officers at the Met.
The London force has responsibility for handling reports and eyewitness accounts of war crimes committed internationally.
Since October 7, the force has been inundated with reports relating to the Israel-Gaza war.
Police report
In a report to the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit, which also handles war crime reports, Janet Fenton, secretary of CND Scotland, raised concerns that because the Scottish Government owns the airport it was potentially “aiding and abetting Israeli actions that constitute genocide in Gaza”.
Israel stands accused at the UN’s highest court of carrying out a genocide in Gaza with its ferocious bombardment of the Palestinian region in response to Hamas’s attack four months ago.
In that time, the UN says more than 100,000 Palestinians have been killed, wounded, or are missing in Gaza.
Israel has pressed one of the most destructive military campaigns in recent history, with Palestinians reportedly being killed at a rate of just under 250 people per day.
In her report to the Met, Fenton said: “The particular incident reported is one example of how the Scottish infrastructure has been used by the UK Government in supplying weapons to Israel illegally.”
READ MORE: UK ministers 'risk complicity with genocide' after ICJ ruling
She added: “Along with hundreds of thousands of my fellow Scottish and UK citizens, I feel appalled, disgusted, terrified and powerless when the Government takes this action without any democratic mandate which is seen as despicable and illegal throughout the world.”
It comes as US foreign minister Anthony Blinken met Egyptian leaders this week as part of his efforts to secure a ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas.
Qatar’s prime minister said Hamas has given a “generally positive” response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal.
And on Tuesday, Israel said it opened an investigation into possible violations of Israeli or international law committed by Israeli troops on October 7, which may relate to possible actions by IDF combatants during a hostage standoff with Hamas militants.
Prestwick Airport denies use as 'Israeli base'
Prestwick Airport has said it is not a “base” for the Israeli Air Force and said no Israeli planes had used the airport since November.
A spokesperson said: “Glasgow Prestwick Airport is commercial organisation and cannot comment on the details of specific customers’ aircraft movements.
"All aircraft landing at any aerodrome in the UK (including Glasgow Prestwick Airport) require to have Civil Aviation Authority permission to transit UK airspace or land in the UK.
“Glasgow Prestwick Airport is an important stopover point for over 20 air forces – primarily our own UK air force, other Nato countries, and very occasionally from some Middle East countries.
"We can confirm that the Israeli Air Force does not and has never used Prestwick Airport as a base and has not visited Prestwick since November 2023.”
READ MORE: Nicaragua threatens UK with court action over 'facilitating genocide in Gaza'
The Met would not comment on individual reports of war crimes but said it had received more than 90 since October 7, adding: “Each one will be reviewed in line with war crimes/crimes against humanity referral guidelines, jointly agreed by police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
“At this time, there is no UK-based investigation into any matters relating to this particular conflict.”
The Ministry of Defence said it would not comment on foreign military movements or operations but said it “routinely” authorised allies’ requests to use UK air bases.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “To comply with trade agreements between the UK and the EU, the business is required to operate on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government.
“Ministers do not intervene in commercial decisions at the airport.”
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