US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that a suspected plot near a British military base used by the US involved "the hands of a foreign actor."
Rubio, speaking to Fox News, said the weekend incident at RAF Fairford base in Fairford, south-west England was “a very serious situation” and suggested additional information about the suspected foreign involvement could emerge in the coming days.
“There’s some things I cannot say on the air for a lot of different reasons,” he said.
"Suffice it to say that what happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation. It’s one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor."
The comments came after British counterterrorism police arrested five men near Royal Air Force Fairford in Gloucestershire on Sunday.
The men, all British nationals from London in their early 20s, were detained after authorities were alerted by a local farmer who reported seeing three white vans travelling toward the base.
Police said Monday that they were investigating whether individuals acting on behalf of a foreign state were involved. The five suspects were subsequently released on bail while the investigation continues.
RAF Fairford is used by the US military and has housed American bombers involved in operations in the region.
Rubio praised British authorities for their cooperation with the United States during the investigation.
“I do want to thank the authorities in the United Kingdom, who have been very cooperative and on top of it,” he said, adding that US officials were engaging with British authorities regarding the arrests and subsequent releases on bail.
Trump questions release
Rubio also placed the incident in the broader context of threats against US interests overseas. He specifically cited Iran, saying that Iranian actors have openly threatened American interests globally and that the United States takes such threats seriously.
“We are dealing with elements in the world, and in the case of Iran, for example, who have openly threatened to attack American interests globally,” he said. “We’re going to always take that very seriously.”
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said that British police should not have released the five men on bail.
Trump added that the case "might be" linked to Iran but declined to give details.
"I'm surprised that they released them, I wouldn't have done that," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, while adding that British authorities had worked "very closely" with the United States.
"We know everything about them. We would not have released them."
