The head of the United Kingdom’s Counter Terrorism Policing said on Monday that the five men arrested on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack on a Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire have been released on bail.
Speaking to reporters, Laurence Taylor said that the police were keeping an “open mind” in the investigation of the potential bomb plot, which he said has prompted speculation about “whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident.”
“We are considering this from every possible angle, including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state,” Taylor said.
“Following extensive interviews and inquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon,” he said. “To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over.”
Taylor, who did not take questions, said that the five are “subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others.”
British police declared a “major incident” on Sunday when it arrested the five men near RAF Fairford on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses.
A local farmer told the BBC that she alerted police when she saw three vans parked near the base, which also hosts a significant U.S. military presence, with “a large group of hooded and masked” men nearby.
American units based at Fairford include the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and the United States has used the base for operations against Iran after the United Kingdom permitted its use for “defensive” strikes.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States was working with the United Kingdom and had done “an amazing job.”
“We had them under investigation,” Trump said. “They were looking to do big damage to our ports.”
Taylor said in his statement that he could not address “speculation” about “what may or may not have been previously known about potential threats or activity” regarding the suspects.
In a previous update, Counter Terrorism Policing said that the five men were between the ages of 23 and 25 and were all residents of London and U.K. citizens. It did not release their names.
The Iranian embassy in London denied any involvement in the suspected plot on Monday.
“The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to the arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base,” the embassy stated.
It blamed the United States and Israel for attempting to “fuel Iranophobia” regarding the suspected plot.
