U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the “hands of a foreign actor” were involved in an incident in which five men were arrested on suspected explosives and terrorism offences near a British airbase used by U.S. forces to strike Iran.
Iran denies involvement in RAF fairford incident
U.S. The five arrested are all British nationals in their early 20s from London. British police declared a major incident at the RAF Fairford base in western England following the arrests early on Sunday (September 27, 2026), and the government held a national emergency meeting. However, the police released the five on bail on Monday (September 28), but said the investigation was not over and they were examining whether individuals acting for a foreign State were involved. The source said Sunday’s (September 27) police response had not been intelligence-led – an indication that the five were not under direct surveillance — but security had been beefed up at the base, suggesting there was information that it was being targeted. They were detained in the early hours on Sunday (September 27) after police were alerted by a local farmer to the three white vans parked near RAF Fairford. The farmer, who asked not to be named, called the police after she returned home around 0100 local time and found three large vans parked in the road, one with a fake telephone number on it, and a group of hooded and masked men running away.
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday (September 28) that the incident “might be” connected to Iran, with which the United States is at war since late February, and that he would not have released the suspects on bail.
