Home · World · Sep 29 archive
UK Police Release Five Men on Bail After RAF Fairford Incident
Confirmed
In Short: The incident began when a local farmer reported three suspicious white vans near the airbase. She called the police after seeing the vans blocking a road and a group of masked men.
Five men arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences near RAF Fairford, a British airbase used by the United States, were released on bail Monday after extensive interviews with authorities.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter-Terrorism Policing, said the men were released under stringent bail conditions and that the investigation is not over.
Taylor noted that the current geopolitical context may have a bearing on the incident, suggesting it could involve proxies or individuals working on behalf of a foreign state.
US President Donald Trump said the suspects were looking to do 'big damage' to the U.S., while Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the incident 'clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor.
The Iranian embassy in London strongly condemned any speculations linking Iran to the incident, calling them 'unfounded and malicious.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced an emergency meeting of top officials to ensure they have 'the full picture' of the incident.
Police have not confirmed details of the threat, but bomb-disposal experts were seen working at the scene.
The release of the men does not mean the investigation is over; they will be subject to stringent bail conditions.
What this adds
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions and investigations related to potential threats to military installations used by the United States.
What's confirmed
- Taylor said on Monday, \"I know there is significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident.\" \"... We are considering this from every possible angle. Including, that this may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state,\" Taylor said.
- British police said Monday five men arrested near an airbase used by the United States were released on bail, as Washington asserted a "foreign actor" was involved in the suspected bomb plot.
- The release of the five -- all London-based Britons in their mid-20s -- came as British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced an emergency meeting of top officials to ensure they have "the full picture".
- UK counter-terror police are leading the investigation after authorities received reports Sunday of three "suspicious" white vans near the airbase, which has been used by the United States to bomb Iran.
- Police said in their latest update Monday that the five men held, who all live in inner London boroughs, were being released on bail.
- "This does not mean the investigation is over," Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said, adding the five would be subject to "stringent" bail conditions.
- The men were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and "preparation of a terrorist act" under UK anti-terrorism laws, according to police.
- A farmer living in the village of Whelford near the airbase said she rang the police after seeing the vans blocking a road and a group of masked men.
- The anonymous woman told media on Monday that she believed the police had "dropped the ball" on the threat.
- After hearing news of their bail, Trump said Monday the case "might be" linked to Iran but declined to elaborate.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident "clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor", without giving further details.
What's still developing
- Streeting declined to give further details on what police and intelligence authorities may have known about the alleged plot, though welcomed President Donald Trump's praise of an operation that he said had been ongoing for a "long time." Trump told reporters on Sunday that the suspects were "looking to do big damage" to U.S.
- The five men, all British nationals from London in their early 20s, were detained early on Sunday after police were alerted by a local farmer about three white vans driving towards RAF Fairford, a British base that houses US bombers that fly missions against Iran.
- Three of the men live in Westminster, one in Camden and another in Willesden, police said, and they are aged between 23 and 25.
- She said that she called the Ministry of Defence police at RAF Fairford but received no answer.
- She then rang 999 at 01:36 BST and said "within 10 minutes the village was full of armed police".
- Burnham to unveil public body to invest in electricity grid OpenAI scraps rollout of new model over safety concerns Five men arrested in RAF Fairford incident released on police bail Unis are offering degrees in content creation for £30,000.
- A major incident was declared and dozens of homes were evacuated after police were alerted to three "suspicious vehicles" near the airbase in Gloucestershire in the early hours of Sunday morning.