US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested that a foreign state could have been behind a suspected explosives plot near an RAF base in England used by American forces to launch strikes on Iran, despite providing no evidence to support the claim.
The allegation follows the arrest of five men on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism just before dawn near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which has triggered an emergency security meeting by UK authorities and raised concerns for Washington that the safety of the base housing America’s bombing runs on Iran could be compromised in the midst of the regional war.
The base has been used as a staging post for American bombing missions on Iranian targets in the ongoing regional conflict. Any threat to its security is of immediate concern to both Washington and London.
All five suspects were released on bail Monday, though police stressed the investigation remains open and that they are examining whether individuals acting on behalf of a foreign government were involved.
Counterterrorism officers said forensic searches of three white vans linked to the men turned up no viable explosive devices, though a quantity of petrol was recovered from the vehicles.
A source close to the investigation told Reuters the vans had not, in fact, contained functioning explosives, undercutting initial fears of an imminent attack.
Rubio’s remarks, made without specifics on which state might be responsible, add a diplomatic dimension to what British authorities are still treating as an active criminal inquiry rather than a confirmed act of state-sponsored sabotage.
His comments come at a sensitive moment, with Gulf and Western officials already on edge over reports of Iranian-linked plots and sabotage attempts against military and energy infrastructure tied to the war effort.
The incident has drawn attention to the security of UK airbases supporting the American campaign against Iran, at a time when British officials have voiced concern over foreign intelligence activity on domestic soil.
No formal charges have yet been filed, and neither UK nor US officials have named a specific country as a suspect in the case.
