fairford, england —
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “foreign hands” were involved in a suspected terrorist plot targeting a British air base used by U.S. forces, giving more details about the investigation than British authorities, which has come under criticism from President Donald Trump.
“What happened this weekend could have been, and was, a very serious threat,” Rubio told Fox News on Monday night, adding that “more news” was to come.
“This clearly involved a foreign actor, but I won’t go into details about that yet,” he added.
Five unidentified men were arrested early Sunday near Fairford Air Base in western England from the same base where U.S. B-1 bombers were flying missions against Iran.
However, police said the suspects, all British nationals aged between 23 and 25 and living in the London area, were released on bail on Monday. US President Donald Trump responded by saying, “I wouldn’t have done that.”
President Trump said the suspects “may have ties” to Iran. “I know the answer. I can give you specifics, but I don’t want to,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
Mr. Rubio’s comments were less vague, saying that the incident “obviously” involved foreign actors, but he did not provide further details.
“I think this ties us to the reality here: We are dealing with elements in the world, in the case of Iran, elements that are openly threatening to attack American interests globally,” he said.
Iran strongly denies involvement in the incident.
Rubio said the public was “disturbed” by the news of the suspect’s release, but said British authorities were “very cooperative and in good hands.”
British counter-terrorism police said on Monday that the release of the five suspects does not mean the investigation is over, and that strict conditions will be imposed on the actions of all five.
British media outlets reported through sources that no explosives were found in the back of the van the men were driving, and that the group’s quick bail may indicate they were not in as immediate danger as initially feared. British anti-terrorism laws allow police to detain suspects for up to 14 days.
Britain has yet to publicly confirm any foreign links. Downing Street said there was no immediate reaction to Trump’s comments and referred CNN to an earlier statement from police.
Counter-terrorism police officer Lawrence Taylor said at a press conference on Monday that police were looking at all angles of the incident, “including the possibility that this incident was actively carried out by agents or individuals acting intentionally or unwittingly on behalf of a foreign state.”
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a meeting of COBRA, the committee dealing with national emergencies, late Monday.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmoud said “the scene is now safe” as of Monday afternoon local time. A police cordon is in place around the three vehicles found at the scene.
About 85 families who had been evacuated from the area on Sunday were told by police on Monday night that they could return to their homes.
British police announce plans to release suspects suspected of terrorist plots on bail
Aerial footage on Sunday showed bomb disposal robots roaming among vans in the woods near the base. The rear doors of two of the vans were open and large black objects could be seen scattered on the ground nearby.
A CNN team nearby then heard what sounded like two controlled explosions coming from the direction of the village where the van was found.
Iran had previously denied involvement in the incident. The embassy in London issued a statement on Monday saying it “strongly condemns the baseless and malicious speculation recently published by some British individuals and media outlets linking Iran to the arrest of five suspects near RAF Fairford”.
The Iranian embassy has not yet commented on Trump’s remarks.
In July, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps specifically pointed to the use of Fairford by US bombers, warning Britain that “any base used to invade Iranian territory is a legitimate target for our forces.”
On Sunday, President Trump called the arrests “amazing” and said the United States and Britain had been investigating the men for a “long time.”
However, British authorities have not commented on the claim. It is unclear whether the five were under surveillance before arriving in the Fairford area early Sunday morning.
British police said in an official statement that they were alerted by local residents to the presence of men near the base.
“I put on my hood and mask.”
A photo of a shirtless man with his hands tied behind his back was published in British media on Sunday.
Counter-terrorism police said they were initially detained under laws related to possession of explosives, but were later arrested on additional charges of “preparing terrorist acts.”
Local residents said they encountered the men when they returned home on Saturday night.
“Both the driveway and the road were blocked by three white vans,” she said.
The resident, who requested anonymity, told CNN that the vans were parked in a “strange formation” about 100 meters from the base’s fence.
She believed there were “definitely” more than five men in the group, most of whom were wearing face coverings. But authorities gave no indication they were searching for anyone else and said Sunday the situation was contained. CNN has contacted police about this discrepancy.
Residents said some ran into fields and others fled towards neighboring villages.
She called emergency services at 1:40 a.m., according to call records shown to CNN. Armed police arrived within 10 or 15 minutes.
“I think it was pure luck that we arrived at the village at the same time as the van,” added the resident farmer.
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said the residents were “partially aware” of the situation, adding that police and security services “often go unnoticed and unreported for good reason”.
Security around the base has been stepped up in recent days and barricades have been set up at the entrance, local officials told CNN. However, the roads and lanes in the immediate vicinity were still open.
The woman and another local resident who called police said the area around the base had been heavily guarded during previous conflicts, including the 2003 conflict with Iraq. However, they said the security situation has been less clear since the Iran conflict began.
“For operational security reasons, we do not discuss specific force protection measures,” a U.S. Air Force spokesperson in Fairford, where the 501st Combat Support Wing is based, told CNN on Sunday.
CNN’s Molly English, Lauren Kent and Rex Harvey contributed to this report.
