US blames 'foreign actor' for RAF Fairford incident and warns 'there's a lot more news coming'

You are about to be charged £0.00* *Your gift has been applied Thank you for subscribing! US blames 'foreign actor' for RAF Fairford incident and warns 'there's a lot more news coming' Five men arrested in connection with the alleged terror plot were released by police on Monday The fearless champion of Britain, its voices and its values. Join the fight for free speech and fearless journalism. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Community Rules. Don't Miss Most Read Latest Marco Rubio has blamed the incident at RAF Fairford on a "foreign actor", and has warned that "a lot more news" about the circumstances will come to light in the near future. Speaking on Monday night, the US Secretary of State described the alleged terror plot as "very serious". Five men - all from London and aged in their 20s - were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences after three vans were found close to the Gloucestershire base used by US forces. Mr Rubio told Fox News it "clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor", but stopped short of naming a specific country, saying: "I won't get into great detail about that yet." The senior Trump administration official also piled praise on the British authorities, which he described as "very cooperative". However, he said: "I know a lot of people are disturbed by the news that some of these people have been released on bail... Obviously we're engaging with them on all of that. "But suffice it to say that beyond that, I would argue that they've been very cooperative and very helpful on something that's very serious incident, and I think it ties us to the reality here." Mr Rubio acknowledged that the US was "dealing with elements in the world", adding: "In the case of Iran, for example, who have openly threatened to attack American interests globally, we're going to always take that very seriously. Mr Rubio said it 'clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor', but stopped short of naming any specific country |REUTERS "There will be repercussions for that if it ever were to happen or even attempted, but what happened this week, it could have been and was, I think, a very serious threat. And I want to thank the UK for their cooperation and their help on it." The Secretary of State confirmed that there will be "a lot more news that will come out" about the incident in the coming days, but acknowledged "there's only so much I can say right now at this point about it, other than this is a very serious thing". Earlier on Monday, Donald Trump admitted he was "surprised" that the suspects linked to the incident were released on bail by police. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the US President said he "wouldn't have done that". "Don't let them out on bail... Is it cashless bail like us?" the US Commander-in-Chief asked. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Mr Rubio said there will be 'a lot more news that will come out' about the incident in the coming days |REUTERS Five men arrested in connection with the alleged terror plot were released by police on Monday | REUTERS"I am surprised they released them, I would not have done that." He added that Iran could have been involved in the suspected bomb plot on the RAF base "but would rather not say". RAF Fairford has been used by the US military to help launch defensive air strikes against Iran since Sir Keir Starmer gave the States the go-ahead earlier this year. But the Islamic Republic has "categorically rejected" involvement in the suspected bomb plot. On Monday, it was revealed that residents living near the base were ordered to stay in their homes hours before authorities were alerted to the suspected terror plot in the early hours of Sunday morning. Donald Trump admitted he was 'surprised' that the suspects linked to the incident were released on bail | GETTYWhatsApp messages in a residents' group chat, seen by The Independent, showed one local claiming they were told by armed officers that an attack at the RAF base was "imminent" at around 6pm on Saturday evening. Another resident alleged they were told to go home and remain indoors. Kempsford local, Charlie Clements, told the newspaper: “On Saturday afternoon, some of our neighbours were walking their dogs up the lane. “They were approached by armed police, and they were basically told to go home. “All they were told was that they were asking people to stay away from the base, but they wouldn't say anything.” Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter