Trump and Rubio question UK release of five RAF Fairford suspects

President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio questioned British counterterror police's handling of a possible plot targeting RAF Fairford, an air base used by U.S. forces. Five British nationals, all men in their mid-20s, were arrested on Sunday morning in an English village near the base on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, then released on bail on Monday.cbsnews.com

The criticism matters because it goes further than British authorities have gone in characterising the incident, and because RAF Fairford has been used by American bombers to launch attacks on Iran during the seven-month war. The quick release without charges, and the absence of any reported explosives or weapons, has fuelled speculation that the men may not have been planning to attack the base at all.cbsnews.com

What Trump and Rubio said

Rubio said on Monday that many people following the incident were "disturbed that some of these people have been released on bail." He said what could have happened in the U.K. over the weekend was a "very serious situation" that "clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor," without offering any further explanation for the assertion.

The head of the U.K.'s Counter Terror Policing unit stressed that the five men would remain "subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others" and that they "absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry." British authorities defended the decision to let the men go free while investigators continue to look into the suspected plot.

British police defend the bail decision

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of the London Metropolitan Police's Counter Terror unit, told reporters the incident "may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state." Iranian authorities have warned that any bases used to attack their country would be considered legitimate targets.

Foreign state link remains unproven

Iran has denied any link to the arrests. The Iranian Embassy in London said in a statement that the regime "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran" to the incident. In July, the U.K. government said Iran's Quds Force "almost certainly directed IMCR attacks across Europe."straitstimes.com

Two people described as military sources told local outlet Wiltshire 999s that the suspects were "just thieves siphoning fuel," with barrels and other equipment found in their vehicles. British police said no viable explosive device was discovered in the three vans driven by the men. Some reports have cited speculation that the men may have been diesel fuel thieves targeting local farms or a base fuel supply.

The fuel theft alternative explanation

Police images showed large, seemingly empty barrels removed from at least one truck. A May report from intelligence agency DeterTech noted that fuel theft has proliferated in the U.K. as the Iran war has driven up diesel and gasoline prices. The head of Counter Terror Policing said the men remain under investigation across multiple lines of enquiry.

The incident comes as U.S. forces prepare to withdraw from their remaining bases in Iraq on Wednesday, a departure that analysts say could embolden Iranian-backed militias across the region. The withdrawal was agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and is being carried out by the Trump administration even as it wages war against Iran.