Men Arrested Over Possible Terror Attack at U.S. Air Base in UK Are Released on Bail

The United Kingdom’s Counter Terrorism Policing unit says five men who were arrested early Sunday on suspicion of planning a terrorist act near an air base housing American forces deployed against Iran will be released on bail, raising questions about exactly what evidence police have found.The head of the unit, Laurence Taylor, said the decision to grant bail came after “extensive interviews” with the suspects. “To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry,” Mr. Taylor told the press Monday outside of Scotland Yard.The men were arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, roughly 100 miles to the west of London, after a farmer called police after finding three white vans blocking a road and a group of men ran off into trees.Mr. Taylor did not say whether investigators had found explosives or other weapons in the vans.On Monday, police said all of the suspects, who have not been named, are British nationals in their 20s who live in the London area. The men were initially held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. “This is a hugely complex and large-scale operation,” the Counter Terrorism Policing’s senior national coordinator, Vicki Evans said in a Monday release.Authorities set up a 1,300 ft evacuation zone around the suspicious vehicles and approximately 85 families were evacuated from their homes. Authorities hoped the evacuees would be able to return home later on Monday. British authorities said they were aware of speculation about the motivation behind the incident and “the geopolitical questions that are being raised” but the investigation was still underway. Defense Minister Wes Streeting told the BBC that he would not speculate about a motive but said Iran has threatened the country.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps this summer issued a warning that London would be a target for retaliation after allowing American bombers to use British soil in connection with the Iran war.“We know that Iran and their proxies wish to do us harm. We know that they hate our democracy, and we know that we regularly have to thwart Iranian attempts to threaten either our interests or indeed our allies,” Mr. Streeting on Monday told BBC radio.The Iranian embassy in London said it “categorically rejects” any connection to the suspects, calling reports in the British media of a possible link as unfounded and malicious speculation.“The circulation of such fabricated speculations, particularly in the aftermath of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK,” the embassy said in a post on X.The American embassy in London is warning American citizens in the United Kingdom to exercise caution and be mindful of personal security. “We remind U.S. citizens that UK authorities rate the threat of terrorism in the UK as severe,” the embassy stated in a Sunday security alert.“U.S.-associated facilities, gatherings, and organizations may be at heightened risk. U.S. citizens are advised to follow instructions of local authorities for their personal safety and security,” the alert continued.Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was going to meet with the United Kingdom’s emergency response committee on Monday to coordinate the government’s response to the incident.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the government had been weak on national security. “We have allowed into Britain cells of people who intend to do us harm,” Mr. Farage told the BBC.

Men Arrested Over Possible Terror Attack at U.S. Air Base in UK Are Released on Bail

Men Arrested Over Possible Terror Attack at U.S. Air Base in UK Are Released on Bail

More from the New York Sun

Jack Smith Faces Senate Grilling Under Oath Over ‘Arctic Frost’ Probe and Alleged Targeting of Republicans

UN Rapporteur Albanese Walks Back Claim Antisemitism Refers to All People of the Middle East

‘The Incomer’ Is a Quirky Delight

SpaceX’s Starship Reaches Orbit, Key Step on Road to NASA Moon Base, Elon Musk’s Mars Colony

Dutch Officials Search Passengers From Israel For West Bank Goods That Carry Six Year Jail Sentence

In the Company of Nazi Evil

Trump’s Fiery Pep Talk Fuels USA Team to Historic Presidents Cup Comeback

Pope Leo’s Triomphe Français

More from the New York Sun

Jack Smith Faces Senate Grilling Under Oath Over ‘Arctic Frost’ Probe and Alleged Targeting of Republicans

UN Rapporteur Albanese Walks Back Claim Antisemitism Refers to All People of the Middle East

‘The Incomer’ Is a Quirky Delight

SpaceX’s Starship Reaches Orbit, Key Step on Road to NASA Moon Base, Elon Musk’s Mars Colony

Dutch Officials Search Passengers From Israel For West Bank Goods That Carry Six Year Jail Sentence

In the Company of Nazi Evil

Trump’s Fiery Pep Talk Fuels USA Team to Historic Presidents Cup Comeback

Pope Leo’s Triomphe Français