London — President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have criticized British counterterrorism police’s handling of a possible plot against a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces. Rubio called it a “very serious” incident and alleged that it “clearly involved” a foreign actor, and the president suggested it “could be” Iran. Five British citizens, all men in their 20s, were arrested Sunday morning in an English village near the British air force base RAF Fairford on suspicion of grooming a terrorist. act. The base has been used by American bombers to launch attacks against Iran during the seven-month war. The five men were released on bail on Monday, with the head of the UK’s Counter Terrorism Policing unit emphasizing that they would remain “subject to strict conditions on their movement and contact with others” and that they “remain absolutely under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry”. However, there is speculation that the men may not have planned to attack the base at all. Some local media outlets have cited UK security sources as saying the men may have simply been looking to steal fuel. “Something very serious?” Reacting to the news in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he was “surprised they released them. I wouldn’t have done that.” He said American 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 “could be” related to Iran, but when pressed for more information, he responded: “I’d rather not. I mean, I know the answer, I could be very specific, but I’d rather not say it. I wouldn’t have released them.” Meanwhile, Rubio said Monday that many people after the incident were “concerned because some of these people had been released on bail.” “What may have happened in the United Kingdom over the weekend is a very serious situation,” Rubio told Fox News, saying it “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor,” without offering further explanation for the claim, which went beyond what British authorities have done in characterizing the incident. “There will be much more news on this in the coming days.” “For now, there’s a lot I can say right now about it other than it’s very serious,” he said. “Just thieves siphoning fuel?” When asked about releasing the men, a British legal expert told CBS News on Tuesday that it would be “reasonable to release the 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 asked not to be identified. “I don’t think the police are being stupid or casual about this.” There has been speculation (yet to be commented directly by British police) that the five men may have been diesel fuel thieves targeting local farms, or perhaps an external supply of fuel to the base, for resale. It is a crime that has proliferated in the UK as the war in Iran has driven up diesel and petrol prices, according to a May report by intelligence agency DeterTech. Two people described as military sources, speaking to local media outlet Wiltshire 999s on Monday, were quoted as saying the suspects were “just thieves siphoning fuel”, with barrels and other equipment found in their vehicles. British police have said no viable explosive devices were discovered in the three vans driven by the men. Footage of police working around those vehicles has shown large, apparently empty barrels being removed from at least one truck. Bad actors working “knowingly or unknowingly” for a foreign state? Deputy Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of London’s Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism unit, told reporters on Monday that the incident “may be an activity committed by representatives, or individuals, whether knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state.” Iranian authorities have warned that any bases used to attack the country would be considered legitimate targets. Iran has denied any link to the arrests near RAF Fairford. The Iranian Embassy in London said in a statement shared Monday on social media that the regime “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent baseless and malicious speculation published by some British individuals and media outlets that attempt to link Iran” to the incident. However, Iran, like Russia, has been accused of using people who may not even know they are working for a foreign state to carry out sabotage attacks across Western Europe. The Iran-aligned Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia group, or Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous (IMCR), has claimed responsibility for several incidents in recent months, including attacks on synagogues in the Netherlands and Belgium, and multiple attacks on the North London Jewish community. The group told CBS News in March that it would “continue to threaten American and Israeli interests around the world until we have avenged all the children of Gaza, Iran, Lebanon and the resistance nations,” and urged people “to stay away from Zionist and American interests.” recruiting sometimes unsuspecting people, often young men, to carry out low-level attacks in exchange for financial compensation. On Tuesday, law enforcement authorities in NATO member Estonia said they had determined that an arson attack on a defense industry company in mid-August was a “deliberate and planned act previously commissioned by the Russian security services.” More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
