No explosives were found in vehicles searched after five men were arrested in connection with a huge security operation near an air base the U.S. Air Force uses to facilitate strikes on Iran, British counterterrorism police confirmed Tuesday.
In an update explaining Monday’s decision to release all five suspects who were arrested on terrorism and explosives charges on bail, Laurence Taylor, Britain’s head of counterterrorism policing, said “a quantity” of gasoline was recovered from three vans near RAF Fairford.
“Those vehicles have been subject to extensive examination, with the support of military assets and forensic experts, and we can confirm that no improvised explosive devices were found,” he said, adding that investigators had searched properties in London.
Taylor said it was an “investigative decision” to release the men on bail, “grounded in experience and careful considerations of policing powers.”
No charges have been filed against the men.
President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that he was disappointed about that decision.
“I’m just disappointed that they caught terrorists — they did a good job, and then they sort of let them go,” he said, adding, “How do you give bail to a terrorist?”
Asked if it was a long-standing investigation, Trump replied, “A long standing. Yeah, we were involved in it.”
“They put them out on bail. I assume they have, they have them watched closely. But these were serious people, seriously bad people, and they should not have done that,” he added.
Trump also said he was surprised about the decision to release the men on bail on Monday. “I would have said, ‘Don’t let them have bail,’” Trump said in the Oval Office. “I’m surprised that they released them. I wouldn’t have done that.”
Trump indicated U.S. officials were cooperating with their British counterparts on the case.
“Look, they’ve been very good. They are working with us very closely,” he said, adding that the U.S. knew “everything” about the suspects.
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Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor” — an allegation British officials haven’t confirmed.
The five men, all British nationals in their 20s from London, were arrested Sunday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses after three vehicles were seen moving toward RAF Fairford, a British air force station about 90 minutes west of London.
Counterterrorism police took over the case after a major incident was declared, disrupting life in the normally quiet, rural community of the Cotswolds.
Counterterrorism police said Sunday that the men had been arrested on suspicion of committing offenses under the Explosives Act, British legislation dating to 1875 that regulates manufacturing, keeping, selling, carrying and importing gunpowder and explosive substances. The men were further suspected of preparation of a terrorist act.
“What seems to be happening is that you’ve got a developing investigation where the custody clock for the terrorism arrest, which is a very long custody clock, has stopped,” said Max Hill, a former director of public prosecutions of England and Wales.
In the U.K., police can usually hold people for up to 24 hours before they have to charge or release them, although officers can apply to extend that time if they suspect a serious crime has been committed. Suspects arrested under the Terrorism Act can be held without charge for up to 14 days.
“So there must be an element of uncertainty about whether ultimately any terrorism-related charges are going to emerge,” Hill said in a telephone interview Tuesday. Releasing the suspects on bail also doesn’t mean they won’t be taken back into custody, he added. “But it does indicate that there’s just not enough for a formal remand application.”
The incident prompted questions about whether a foreign actor could be involved — in particular, Iran. Its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Britain this summer that RAF Fairford could be a “legitimate target” months after then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave permission for the U.S. to use its bases for “specific and limited defensive” operations against Iran.
The Iranian Embassy in Britain denied any involvement Monday.
In an appearance on Fox News later Monday, Rubio said, “What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the U.K. over the weekend is a very serious situation.”
“There’s a lot more news that’ll come out on this in the days to come,” he added.
Taylor said that “it was simply not possible for me to go into detail about every strand that we are looking at and all of the intelligence we have got,” which he said wasn’t unusual for such an investigation.
“It is unusual for it to be as visible as it is in this incident,” he said, adding that his team was working with international partners.
