UK probes foreign state link to suspected plot targeting airbase used by US
British counter-terrorism police are investigating whether individuals acting on behalf of a foreign state were involved in a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford, a British airbase used by the United States for strikes against Iran. This is reported by Reuters , Bloomberg and Sky News.
Five British nationals aged between 23 and 25 were arrested near the base early on Sept. 27 on suspicion of explosives offenses and later of planning a terrorist act.
Police were alerted after a local farmer reported three suspicious vans traveling toward the base in Gloucestershire. The vehicles were extensively examined with the help of military and forensic experts.
No viable explosives were found at the scene, a UK official told Bloomberg.
The five suspects were released on bail on Sept. 28 under what police described as stringent conditions, shortly before the legal deadline for holding them without formal charges. They remain under investigation.
Counter Terrorism Policing chief Laurence Taylor said investigators were examining the case from “every possible angle,” including whether proxies or individuals knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state were involved.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio went further, saying the incident “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor,” although he did not provide evidence or identify the country he believed was involved.
“What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation,” Rubio told Fox News.
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, however, said it was “too early to make decisions around attribution.”
A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that an Iranian-linked motive was considered the most likely, while investigators were also examining the possibility of a Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot.
Iran's embassy in London rejected any suggestion of Iranian involvement, calling the speculation “unfounded and malicious.”
RAF Fairford is used by the US Air Force and has served as a base for American bomber missions against Iranian missile sites. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in July that the base would be considered a legitimate target.
Security has been increased at other US airbases in Britain following the incident. Residents of 85 homes near Fairford were initially evacuated but were allowed to return after authorities declared the area safe.
US President Donald Trump said the incident “might be” connected to Iran and criticized the decision to release the five suspects on bail, saying he “wouldn't have done that.”