London — President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have criticized British counterterror police's handling of a possible plot targeting a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces, with Rubio calling it a "very serious" incident and alleging that it "clearly involved" a foreign actor, and the president suggesting it "might be" Iran. Five British nationals, all men in their mid-20s, were arrested Sunday morning in an English village near the British air force base RAF Fairford on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. The base has been used by American bombers to launch attacks on Iran during the seven-month war.
All five men were released on bail Monday, with the head of U.K.'s Counter Terror Policing unit stressing they 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." The fact that they were released so quickly and not charged with any suspected crimes, and that authorities did not report finding any explosives or weapons, has fueled speculation, however, that the men may not have been planning to attack the base at all. Some local media outlets have cited U.K. security sources saying the men may just have been looking to steal fuel. Reacting to the news in the Oval Office Monday, Mr.
Trump said he was "surprised that they released them. I wouldn't have done that." He said U.S. and British authorities had worked "very closely" on the matter adding: "We know everything about them. We would not have released them." The president added that the incident "might be" linked to Iran, but when pressed for more information, he replied: "I'd rather not.
I mean, I know the answer, I could be very specific, but I'd rather not say. I would not have released them." Rubio, meanwhile, said Monday that many people following the incident were "disturbed that some of these people have been released on bail." "What could have happened in the U.K. over the weekend is a very serious situation," Rubio told Fox News, saying it "clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor," without offering any further explanation for the assertion, which went further than British authorities have in characterizing the incident. "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 is a very serious thing," he said.
Asked about the release of the men, a British legal expert told CBS News Tuesday that it would be "reasonable to release suspects on bail to see where they go and who they talk to." "It wouldn't be the first time these tactics have been used," said the analyst, who declined to be named. "I don't think the police are being stupid or casual in this." There has been speculation — not commented on yet directly by British police — that the five men may have been diesel fuel thieves targeting local farms, or perhaps an external fuel supply for the base, for resale. It's a crime that has proliferated in the U.K as the Iran war has driven up diesel and gasoline prices, according to a May report from intelligence agency DeterTech.
Two people described as military sources, speaking Monday to local news outlet Wiltshire 999s, were quoted as saying the suspects were "just thieves syphoning fuel," with barrels and other equipment found in their vehicles. The British police have said no viable explosive device was discovered in the three vans driven by the men. Images of the police working around those vehicles have shown large, seemingly empty barrels that were removed from at least one truck.
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