UK Police Bail Five Suspects in Airbase Plot

British counter-terrorism police released five men on bail Monday after arresting them near RAF Fairford, a military airbase used by US forces, while investigating whether a foreign state sponsored a suspected bomb plot.

Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor confirmed that officers are probing whether the inner-London residents acted as proxies for a foreign government, either knowingly or unknowingly.

The five men face explosive offences and terrorism charges under UK anti-terrorism laws following their arrest in three suspicious white vans near the base.

The incident prompted Prime Minister Andy Burnham to call an emergency meeting of top officials to assess national security risks.

Authorities deployed bomb-disposal experts and forensic teams to inspect the vehicles after a resident alerted police to masked men blocking a nearby road.

Security forces temporarily evacuated around 85 households in the adjacent village, but Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood confirmed the area is safe and residents can return home.

The attempted attack follows escalated tensions over RAF Fairford, the only mainland British airbase supporting US operations against Iran.

Tehran categorically denied any involvement in the plot, dismissing claims connecting it to the incident as “unfounded and malicious.”

However, US President Donald Trump told reporters in Chicago that American and British intelligence had kept the suspects under surveillance for a long time, warning that “they were looking to do big damage to our fort.”