Five British nationals arrested near a U.S. Air Force base in rural England have been released on bail, counterterrorism officials announced Monday, even as investigators said the inquiry into the suspected plot remains very much active. The men, all Londoners in their early to mid-20s, were detained Sunday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses after three suspicious vehicles were spotted moving toward RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force station about 90 minutes west of London.
The operation prompted mass evacuations of dozens of nearby homes in the early morning hours, sending a visible emergency presence through the normally quiet Cotswolds countryside. Residents of the village of Whelford were later allowed to return after police cleared the cordon.
Laurence Taylor Says Investigation Is Not Over
The head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, said Monday that following “extensive interviews and inquiries” the five men were released but remain under close watch. “They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others,” he said, stressing that their release “does not mean that the investigation is over.”
Taylor said investigators were examining the incident from every possible angle, including the possibility that those involved were “proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.” He noted “significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident,” a reference to escalating tensions between Britain, the United States, and Iran. You can follow the RAF Fairford terrorism investigation as authorities continue to release new information.
Iran Denies Involvement, Trump Claims Early Knowledge
The operation raised immediate questions about a possible Iranian connection. In July, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Britain that “any base used to facilitate aggression against Iranian territory is considered a legitimate target,” specifically naming bomber flights from Fairford. Iran’s embassy in London flatly denied any link, saying it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations” connecting Tehran to the arrests.
President Donald Trump weighed in from Washington on Sunday, telling reporters, “We know all about them, and you’ll be hearing about it very soon. We caught them.” Trump called the operation an “amazing job” and said the suspects “were looking to do big damage to our fort.” A local farmer who first spotted the men told BBC News she had seen “a large group of hooded and masked men” and that when they noticed her, “some into the field and some towards the neighboring village” they fled. “I then realized that something highly unusual was taking place,” she said.
COBRA Meeting and Next Steps for the Investigation
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday he would chair a meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency committee to ensure authorities “have the full picture.” Burnham urged the public not to speculate while investigators establish the facts. Defense Minister Wes Streeting said the concerned member of the public who raised the alarm “did the right thing” and acted quickly.
A fuel delivery company, Fuel2U, issued a statement after images circulated online showing white vans near the base bearing a version of its logo, saying neither the vehicles nor those involved had any connection to the firm. Local councillor Tristan Wilkinson told NBC News that an Iranian threat to the base earlier this summer had already raised the alert level and increased security patrols in the area. The five suspects remain on conditional bail as counterterrorism detectives continue their inquiry.
