US’s Marco Rubio says UK airbase incident involved ‘foreign actor’

What the report says

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the suspected incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire involved a “foreign actor,” calling it a very serious matter. His comments followed arrests made by UK police over the weekend in connection with an alleged bomb plot near the airbase, which is used by US military aircraft. Police detained five men, all British nationals from London in their early to mid-20s, after being alerted by a farmer who saw three white vans moving toward the base.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, UK counterterrorism police said they were examining whether the suspects were acting on behalf of a foreign state. They later said the men would be released on bail while the investigation continued. Rubio did not provide further details, and Al Jazeera noted that he was speaking on Fox News about what could have happened if the suspected plot had gone ahead.

The case has drawn attention because RAF Fairford has been used by the US for operations involving Iran. The article says the UK allowed the base to be used in March for specific defensive missions into Iran, and that the site has seen increased security in recent months. Iran’s embassy in London rejected suggestions that Tehran was involved, while former US President Donald Trump also linked the case to Iran without offering evidence, according to the report.