Five men were arrested near RAF Fairford — a UK airbase used by the US Air Force — as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed a ‘foreign actor’ for the alleged terror plot, calling it a ‘very serious incident’
The US has pointed the finger at a ‘foreign actor’ for Sunday’s incident at RAF Fairford and claims there is ‘a lot more’ set to emerge from the arrests.
Gloucestershire police detained five men in Whelford, close to RAF Fairford – a base utilised by the US Air Force for combat missions – at approximately 12:45am on Sunday (September 27). Bomb disposal experts were summoned to examine three vans discovered by a farmer who dialled 999 upon returning home from a party.
Connections were made to Iran, given that RAF Fairford has been employed by the Americans to launch air strikes on the Middle Eastern nation. Tehran’s London embassy previously stated it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations” regarding Iranian involvement.
Hours afterwards, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News the ‘very serious’ alleged terror conspiracy was orchestrated by a ‘foreign actor’, though he refused to identify the organisation he suspects.
The chief of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, acknowledged conjecture over whether Iran was responsible for the plot and stated the force was exploring ‘every possible angle’.
Speaking outside New Scotland Yard on Monday, Mr Taylor said he recognised there was “significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident”. During his briefing, he confirmed the five detained men, all British nationals residing in London, have subsequently been released on bail by officers.
President Donald Trump has voiced his ‘surprise’ at a recent bail decision. Speaking from the Oval Office on Monday, Mr Trump stated: “I will tell you, I would have said ‘Don’t let them have bail’. I’m surprised that they released them. I wouldn’t have done that.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham presided over a Cobra meeting on Monday. Following the meeting, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting explained that decisions regarding bail were operational matters for the police and prosecutors, and the investigation was still underway.
However, Mr Rubio heaped praise on British police, describing officers as ‘very co-operative’. He commented: “I know a lot of people are disturbed by the news that some of these people have been released on bail… Obviously we’re engaging with them on all of that.
“But suffice it to say that beyond that, I would argue that they’ve been very co-operative and very helpful on something that’s a very serious incident, and I think it ties us to the reality here.”
The five suspects include a 24 year old from Camden, north London; three men aged 23, 24 and 25 from Westminster, central London, and one aged 24 from Willesden, north-west London.
Mr Taylor confirmed that the men were released on bail under ‘stringent conditions’ on Monday but ‘absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry’.
People evacuated from around 85 homes were allowed back on Monday, though a cordon stays in place surrounding the vehicles. It’s believed the substance discovered wasn’t live explosives, but officers have confirmed the investigation continues.