Rubio says a foreign state was 'clearly' behind suspected RAF Fairford bomb plot

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday evening that a foreign actor was "clearly" involved in the suspected bomb plot investigated near RAF Fairford in the UK. Speaking to Fox News, Rubio called the situation very serious but offered no evidence to support his claim.

Five British men in their early twenties, all from London, were arrested early on Sunday after a local farmer alerted police to three white vans heading toward RAF Fairford, a base that hosts US bombers flying missions against Iran. The men were held on suspicion of explosives offences and preparing an act of terrorism, with a possible Iranian link identified as a key line of inquiry.

Before Rubio's remarks, all five suspects had already been released on police bail under strict conditions. Sources familiar with the investigation suggested detectives now consider it unlikely the men were close to carrying out a mass-casualty bombing. It later emerged that no explosive material had actually been found in the vans.

Trump's comments and Iran's denial

Earlier on Monday, President Donald Trump told reporters he would not have released the suspects, saying authorities "know everything about them." Asked if the case was linked to Iran, he said it "might be" but declined to elaborate further, saying he would rather not say what he knew.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards stated in July that RAF Fairford was a legitimate target, while Iran's embassy in London has denied any involvement in the incident.

The UK's head of counter-terrorism policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said the bail release did not mean the investigation was closed, adding that police were examining every angle, including the possibility that proxies or individuals acting knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state were involved. Iran has previously been suspected of using proxies in the UK for a range of incidents.