The Prime Minister has chaired an emergency COBRA meeting as the mystery over the incident deepens.
West of England Reporter Sangita Lal reports from the scene
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the suspected terror plot foiled near an RAF base in Gloucestershire “clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor”.
In an interview with Fox News, Rubio mentioned Iran by name, pointing out it had threatened to attack US interests, but did not directly blame it for the weekend incident and said he had to be “careful” about what he said.
“There’s a lot more news that’ll come out on this in the days to come, but there’s only so much I can say right now at this point,” he added.
Five men from London, all UK nationals in their 20s, were arrested on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offences after armed police stopped three vans in the early hours of Sunday near the village of Whelford in Gloucestershire, not far from the site of RAF Fairford, which is used by the US air force.
About 85 households near RAF Fairford who were evacuated were able to return home on Monday evening, Gloucestershire Police said.
Counter-terror police have said they are considering “every possible angle” into the RAF Fairford incident, including whether it is connected to proxies working on behalf of a foreign state.
Rubio described events that unfolded near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire as a “very serious situation” and thanked the British authorities for their response, saying they had been “very cooperative and very helpful”.
However, he was critical of the decision to release the five suspects on bail after they were arrested for terror and explosives offences.
“I know a lot of people are disturbed by the news that some of these people have been released on bail, as some of the people are being investigated, and obviously we’re engaging with them on all of that,” Rubio said.
“Beyond that, I would argue that they’ve been very cooperative and very helpful on something that’s a very serious incident.”
He added: “There’s a lot more news that’ll come out on this in the days to come, but there’s only so much I can say right now at this point about it, other than this was a very serious thing and it was responded to appropriately.”
U.S. President Donald Trump also said he was “surprised” that the five men were out on bail, telling reporters on Monday that he would not have bailed them.
Speaking in the Oval Office, the US president said the alleged plot “might be” linked to Iran, and added: “I will tell you, I would have said ‘Don’t let them have bail’.
“I’m surprised that they released them. I wouldn’t have done that.”
On Sunday, hours after the incident, Trump had described the arrests of the five men as “fantastic”. He told reporters the suspects were looking to “do big damage” and praised the UK police.
Speaking on Monday, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said the men had been released on police bail.
Police are considering “every possible angle” in their investigation into what happened at RAF Fairford including whether it was carried out by proxies or individuals working on behalf of a foreign state, Mr Taylor said.
Speaking at New Scotland Yard, Mr Taylor said he knows there is “significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident”.
“I can confirm that following extensive interviews and enquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon,” he said.
“To be very clear, this does not mean the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry.”
Mr Taylor continued: “At counter-terrorism policing, we are working within this context every single day, and at this stage, we are keeping an open mind in this investigation.
“We have, as you would expect, ensured that our protective security advice and posture remain commensurate to the threat.
“But be assured, we are considering this from every possible angle, including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state.
“To respond to incidents such as these, rapid mobilisation is necessary, as we cannot take the risk whilst assessing that threat.
“However, once we understand the threat more clearly, we seek to return affected communities to normality as quickly as possible.”
Defence secretary Wes Streeting said decisions around bail were operational matters for the police and prosecutors after the decision to release the five people arrested over the RAF Fairford incident.
Streeting said: “Those investigations remain live and I can reassure the public who will be interested and want further information of two things: the first is that those five individuals are under stringent bail conditions and, secondly, that we remain with a live investigation and keeping the situation constantly under review.”
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