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Rubio
says foreign actor was ‘clearly’ behind suspected RAF Fairford bomb plot
The US
secretary of state offered no evidence for his claims, and also said many
people were ‘disturbed’ that the five suspects had been released on bail
Jamie
Grierson
Tue 29
Sep 2026 02.41 EDT
A
counter-terrorism operation near RAF Fairford in the UK was mired in confusion
on Tuesday after police released five suspects on bail prompting concern and
surprise from the US president and secretary of state.
Five
British nationals from London were detained on suspicion of explosives offences
and terrorism after three suspicious vans were reported to police in the early
hours of Sunday, outside the base in the village of Whelford, Gloucestershire.
A rapid
and significant security response was triggered with the village locked down,
residents evacuated for 36 hours and bomb disposal robots dispatched to the
scene.
However,
on Tuesday, the head of counter-terrorism policing in the UK announced all five
men had been released on bail. Their release suggests detectives believe it is
unlikely they were on the brink of a mass casualty attack by exploding a bomb
close to the base, sources said.
Emergency
teams deploy bomb disposal robot at RAF Fairford air base
Donald
Trump later told reporters at the White House that he would not have released
the suspects on bail. “We know everything about them. We would not have
released them.”
Asked
whether the case was linked to Iran, Trump said: “It might be.”
Pressed
to give details, Trump said: “I’d rather not. I mean I know the answer, I could
be very specific, but I’d rather not say. I would not have released them.”
Likewise,
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said a lot of people were “disturbed
that some of these people [being investigated] have been released on bail”.
“What
could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation,”
Rubio said in an interview with Fox News on Monday evening, adding that it
“clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor”.
Rubio
provided no evidence for his claims.
Tensions
have been high at RAF Fairford since Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in July
that the base was a legitimate target. Iran’s embassy in London has denied any
involvement in the events of the last few days.
Adding to
the sense of confusion on Sunday, Trump suggested the plot was known to the US
authorities, but British sources were suggesting the specific activities of the
men were unknown.
MPs and
councillors representing the local area said the messaging was inconsistent.
Tristan Wilkinson, a councillor representing the ward, said: “It seems insane
that this appears to have been a tipoff from a member of the public, and the
security services are claiming that there was a level of intelligence involved
as well. I don’t see how those two things can both come through at the same
time.”
The head
of UK counter-terrorism policing, the assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor,
said the release of the men on bail did not mean the investigation was over and
that they were subject to “stringent conditions”.
He said:
“I know there is significant interest in whether the current geopolitical
context has a bearing on this incident. At counter-terrorism policing we are
working within this context every day, and at this stage we are keeping an open
mind in this investigation.
“… But be
assured, we are considering this from every possible angle. Including, that
this may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or
unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.”
An
initial examination of the vans led police to suspect they carried explosive
materials, with assessments made as to whether they were viable improvised
explosive devices. After the suspects’ release it emerged that no explosive
material had been found.
Iran is
suspected of using proxies in the UK, in incidents ranging from alleged arson
attacks against Jewish targets to men flying a basic drone near the Israeli
embassy.
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