A suspected terror plot against an RAF base used by American forces to bomb Iran ‘clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor’, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted, amid controversy over the release of five suspects.
The men, all in their twenties and from London, remain under investigation, Counter Terrorism Policing said, while Tehran has ‘categorically’ denied any involvement in the alleged plot.
The suspects, aged between 23 and 25, were detained outside the Gloucestershire air base and stripped of their clothes amid fears they were wearing suicide belts in the early hours of Sunday morning.
But within 36 hours they were bailed.
In a television interview, Mr Rubio mentioned Iran by name, noting that the regime had previously threatened to target US interests. However, he stopped short of directly blaming Tehran for the incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
Iran dismissed the allegation as a ‘slur’, while Donald Trump suggested the five men were already known to the authorities and said he was ‘surprised’ they had been released.
Mr Rubio described the events near RAF Fairford as a ‘very serious situation’ and thanked British authorities for their response, saying they had been ‘very cooperative and very helpful’.
He added that ‘a lot of people are disturbed’ by the decision to grant bail to the five suspects arrested in connection with the alleged plot.
The British nationals were detained on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences on Sunday after three vans were found near RAF Fairford, a Gloucestershire base that has been used by the US military to carry out strikes against Iran.
Residents from around 85 evacuated households were allowed to return home on Monday. However, a police cordon remained in place around the vehicles as counter-terrorism officers continued to examine the scene.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has claimed the RAF Fairford incident ‘clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor’
Five men were pictured as police arrested them on terror charges near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. They are all British, from London, and in their 20s, police said – and have all been since released on bail
It is understood that the material found was not viable explosives, but police have said the investigation is continuing.
Speaking to Fox News, Mr Rubio said: ‘I have to be careful. There’s some things I cannot say on the air for a lot of different reasons.
‘Suffice it to say that what happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation.
‘It’s one that clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor. I won’t get into great detail about that yet.
‘I do want to thank the authorities in the United Kingdom who have been very cooperative and on top of it.’
He added: ‘I know a lot of people are disturbed by the news that some of these people have been released on bail, as some of the people are being investigated and obviously we’re engaging with them on all of that.
‘Beyond that, I would argue that they’ve been very cooperative and very helpful on something that’s a very serious incident.’
Mr Rubio went on: ‘I think it ties us to the reality here, and that is we are dealing with elements in the world, and in the case of Iran, for example, who have openly threatened to attack American interests globally.
‘We’re going to always take that very seriously. There’ll be repercussions for that if it ever were to happen or even attempted.
‘But what happened this weekend could have been and was, I think, a very serious threat. I want to thank the UK for their cooperation and their help on it.
‘There’s a lot more news that’ll come out on this in the days to come, but there’s only so much I can say right now at this point about it, other than this was a very serious thing and it was responded to appropriately.’
Donald Trump expressed his shock that five British men were released on bail.
Experts feared it could be a huge vehicle bomb capable of ‘massive’ destruction.
But testing has now revealed that it is not explosive material, according to sources.
Evacuated residents have since been able to return though a cordon remains in place around the three vehicles, Gloucestershire Police said this evening.
One local businesswoman complained the arrested men had been bailed and potentially allowed back to their homes before local residents in Whelford had.
Laura Stitt, 40, said: ‘The main concern is it has been de-escalated very quickly from being potential terrorism.
‘The men arrested have been allowed to return to their homes before we can return to ours.
‘There is an awful lot of police resources and taxpayers’ money spent. There is a lot of confusion as to what it was about.’
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances to establish whether the five men may have participated in a Tehran-backed hoax, decoy or potential dummy run in preparation for a possible terror attack.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor stressed that officers were still looking at potential hostile state involvement as the force added it was considering ‘every possible angle’ including the use of proxies.
The farmer said she thought the vans were suspicious because a phone number and lettering on the vehicles appeared to be fake. When she came across them in her car, they fled
Mr Taylor told reporters outside New Scotland Yard: ‘I can confirm that, following extensive interviews and inquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon.
‘To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others.
‘They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry.’
It came as Iran said it ‘categorically rejects’ any involvement in the suspected plot. In a statement, its London embassy dismissed reports linking Tehran to the arrests as ‘unfounded and malicious speculations’.
The embassy added: ‘The circulation of such fabricated speculations, particularly in the aftermath of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK.
‘The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, as necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and damaging media narratives.’
