Five terror suspects arrested early Sunday morning near RAF Fairford in England have been released on police bail and remain under investigation, British police confirmed Monday.
The five men, all British nationals in their twenties from London, were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and offences under the Explosives Act.
The airbase at the centre of the investigation is used by the United States military to launch strikes on Iran. British authorities are examining a possible link to Iran as one line of inquiry, though no conclusion has been reached. Prime Minister Andy Burnham convened a meeting of Cobra, the government's emergency committee, on Monday "to make sure we have the full picture."
US President Donald Trump said the arrested men had been under surveillance "for a long time" and were "looking to do big damage." British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the UK must not be "cowed by sabre-rattling from Iran" or allow Tehran to dictate British foreign policy, but added that it was "too early to attribute background aims."
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, said outside Scotland Yard that "following extensive interviews and inquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon." The Iranian embassy in London issued a statement saying it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" what it called unfounded and malicious speculation linking Iran to the incident.
The investigation began after a local farmer spotted three suspicious vans and a group of masked men near the base. She first called the Ministry of Defence Police but received no answer, then dialled 999 at 1:36 a.m. Armed police arrived about 10 minutes later. The farmer said police had "dropped the ball."
