Rubio: Bomb Plot at RAF Fairford Clearly Involves Foreign Actors

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that an incident involving the arrest of five men on explosives and terrorism charges near an RAF base in southern England clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor, but did not mention a specific country.

Counter-terrorism police said on Monday they were investigating whether there was any link between the incident and Iran.

“What could have happened in the United Kingdom over the weekend is a very serious situation,” Rubio said on Fox News on Monday evening, but offered no evidence for his claims that another country was involved.

The Iranian embassy in London said in a post on X that it categorically rejects and strongly condemns the baseless and malicious speculation that Tehran was involved.

The group of five young Britons was released on bail on Monday, and counter-terrorism detectives said they were investigating “multiple lines of inquiry.”

The men were arrested early Sunday after three vans were seen in the countryside near RAF Fairford, a UK-owned base that has been used by American bombers during decades of Middle East conflicts, including this year’s war with Iran.

Investigators have not concluded whether the incident was state-backed. They are investigating a possible link to Iran, Russia, or non-state militant groups. RAF Fairford has also been at the center of protests by anti-war activists.

The five suspects, whose names have not been made public, were initially detained for suspected explosives offenses and later also arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism.

Police said the men are all British nationals from London and in their 20s.