The five suspects arrested over an alleged attempt to attack the RAF Fairford air base in Britain have been released on bail, Lawrence Taylor, head of the UK police counterterrorism unit, announced Monday evening.
Taylor stressed that the five remain under active investigation and are subject to strict restrictions. He said investigators are examining every possible line of inquiry, including the possibility that the operation was carried out by proxies or agents acting on behalf of a foreign government.
Earlier Monday, British media reported additional details about the civilian response that helped thwart the suspected attack on the military base. According to reports, a local farmer who spotted suspicious activity near the security facility alerted the authorities after reporting seeing a “large group of men wearing hats and masks."
British Defense Secretary John Healey thanked the woman for her swift and vigilant response but declined to disclose operational details from the ongoing investigation. Speaking to the media, Healey emphasized Britain’s close cooperation with its allies and said the response to threats of this kind demonstrates why the government in London is committed to the largest increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War.
The BBC noted that the incident has raised questions about the intelligence that led to the suspects’ arrest. While the incident began with the farmer’s civilian report, US President Donald Trump claimed that the suspects had been under prolonged surveillance by intelligence agencies before they were captured.
Healey declined to comment on or interpret the US president’s statement, reiterating the importance of protecting the confidentiality of the investigation.
The defense secretary also refrained from directly blaming Iran, saying it would be “very unwise" to speculate about the suspects’ motives at this stage.
“We know there are state-backed actors who could harm Britain, and therefore we are vigilant," Healey said, while declining to confirm or rule out Iranian involvement in the incident.