U.S. and British officials are investigating a weekend security incident near the western England air base.
A thwarted weekend plot near RAF Fairford, a British military base used by the United States, involved a foreign actor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday night.
“What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the U.K. over the weekend is a very serious situation,” Rubio told Fox News’ “Hannity.” “It’s one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor.” Rubio connected the incident to global threats from adversaries such as Iran and said there would be repercussions for threats against American interests.
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that the incident “might be” connected to Iran, with which the U.S. has been at war since late February. Iran denied any involvement in the incident on Monday.
Arrests near the base
British police declared a major incident at the western England base after arresting five men in the early hours of Sunday. The men are all British nationals in their early 20s from London.
A local farmer alerted police after arriving home around 1 a.m. Sunday and spotting three large vans parked in the road, including one bearing a fake telephone number. The farmer saw a group of hooded and masked men running away.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the three white vans didn’t contain viable explosives. The source also said the police response wasn’t intelligence-led, which indicated the suspects weren’t under direct surveillance.
Police released all five suspects on bail Monday. Trump criticized that decision, telling reporters, “I wouldn’t have done that.” British police said their investigation remains active and investigators are looking into whether people acting for a foreign state were involved.
Base security and emergency response
The British government held a national emergency meeting after the arrests. Local residents reported that security at RAF Fairford had been stepped up in the days leading to Sunday.
The local farmer said a neighbor driving past the facility on Saturday night was ordered by U.S. security personnel to stop and put their hands outside the car.
A large cordon and roadblocks remained around the installation Tuesday morning, though local media reported that evacuated residents from nearby homes were returning.
