Questions surround counterterror probe into US air base in England

[AP Photo]

A surprise decision by the U.K.’s counterterror police to release five suspects on bail during an investigation into a suspected bomb plot targeting a U.S.-operated air force base in England has raised questions and concern from many, including U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Five young British men were arrested early Sunday on explosives and terrorism charges near the RAF Fairford base, which has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including this year’s war with Iran.

Counterterror detectives said they were investigating “multiple lines of inquiry,” including whether the suspects had a link to Iran. Iran has denied involvement.

The men — all British nationals in their 20s, according to police — were released on bail Monday. The head of U.K. Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, stressed that the suspects face stringent conditions and “absolutely remain under investigation.”

Trump told reporters on Monday he was surprised that the men were allowed to be freed.

“I’m surprised that they released them. I wouldn’t have done that,” he said.

Rubio echoed the sentiment, saying: “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.”

He added in an interview with Fox News that the case “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor,” but did not name a specific country or give more details.

Police did not find explosives

A police cordon remained in place around three vans found near the Fairford base on Tuesday, as armed police and counterterrorism officers continued to examine the scene.

Earlier, army bomb-disposal experts used a robot to examine the vans. It wasn’t clear what was found inside the vehicles, but the decision to bail the suspects — and the fact that residents who were evacuated have started to return home — suggested that no viable explosives were found.

A local farmer said she called police after seeing the vans blocking a road as she drove home late Saturday night, and that nearby she came across a group of men, some with their faces covered. She said they ran away when they saw her vehicle.

She declined to be identified because she was describing what she saw as potential security lapses.

Officials hint at possible Iran role

Taylor, the counterterror police chief, said lines of inquiry include whether the suspected offenses were committed by “proxies or individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state.”

Investigators haven’t concluded whether the incident was state-backed or what the motive was, but authorities have strongly hinted that Iran is possibly involved. They are also investigating a possible link to Russia or non-state militant groups. RAF Fairford has also been the focus of protests by anti-war campaigners.

Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said the U.K. “shouldn’t be cowed by saber rattling from Iran,” adding that “the Iranian regime is one that wishes harm to our country, our allies, and the freedom and democracy that we enjoy.”

Iran and allied militant groups have been accused of plotting or carrying out attacks on U.S., British and Jewish targets in the past, allegedly acting through local proxies while denying responsibility.

British intelligence services saying Russia and Iran have both used proxies to commit crimes on U.K. soil. In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states, including Iran, increased by 50% in the six months to December 2025.

Security or intelligence failures

It was unclear whether the arrested men had been on security services’ radar. Local residents described seeing heightened security around RAF Fairford in recent days, with heavy vehicles parked across entrance gates.

Trump said the suspects were detained following cooperation between the U.S. and Britain, and had been “under view” for some time. Police, however, said the arrests were triggered by a late-night call about the suspicious vehicles near the base.

The farmer who called the police alleged that it took several hours between her call and when police “suddenly decided to evacuate people” in the area.

“But meanwhile, those vans were right in the middle of the village next to everyone’s houses and no one did anything,” she said.

Streeting, the defense secretary, said Monday that the farmer only had a “partial picture” of the operation. ALASTAIR GRANT & SYLVIA HUI, FAIRFORD,MDT/AP