Rubio alleges foreign involvement in incident near UK airbase

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says a foreign actor was involved in an incident near a British airbase used by American bombers flying missions against Iran, an allegation British investigators have not confirmed. Five men arrested near RAF Fairford on Sunday have been released on bail without charges, and police say their inquiry continues.

“What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation,” Rubio said Monday on Fox News. “It’s one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor. I won’t get into great detail about that yet.”

British counterterrorism officials have taken a more cautious position. Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said investigators were examining “multiple lines of inquiry” after extensive interviews and inquiries. They were keeping an open mind about whether the incident involved people acting for a foreign state.

“Be assured we are considering this from every possible angle, including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state,” Taylor said.

The five men are British nationals in their 20s from London. Police arrested them after three vans were seen heading toward RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force station in the Cotswolds used by the U.S. military. Al Jazeera reported that a local farmer alerted police to three white vans driving toward the base.

The men were arrested on suspicion of offenses under Britain’s Explosives Act and of preparing a terrorist act. Taylor said the vans had undergone extensive examination with help from military assets and forensic experts. He did not say whether explosives had been found. NBC News reported that several British news reports said none were found; it sought clarification from counterterrorism police Tuesday but received no response.

The incident prompted a major security operation that disrupted the surrounding rural area. About 85 households in a nearby village were evacuated early Sunday and allowed to return the next day, according to Al Jazeera.

President Donald Trump said Monday he was surprised the suspects had been released. “I would have said, ‘Don’t let them have bail,’” he said in the Oval Office. “I’m surprised that they released them, I wouldn’t have done that.” He also said British authorities were working closely with the United States. Trump said Sunday that the suspects had been “under investigation” for a while and alleged they had been “looking to do big damage to our fort.” On Monday, he said the case “might be” linked to Iran but did not elaborate.

The United Kingdom gave the United States permission in March to use Fairford for “specific defensive operations into Iran” aimed at destroying Iranian missiles, according to Al Jazeera. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in July that the base was a legitimate target. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused London of “putting British lives in danger” by allowing its bases to be used for U.S. operations against Iran.

Iran’s embassy in London denied any role in the Fairford incident Monday, saying it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” speculation about Iranian involvement.