Secretary Marco Rubio confirmed a foreign actor’s hand in a thwarted U.K. terror plot near a U.S.-used base, as five young British suspects were released on bail.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News on Monday night that the weekend threat near RAF Fairford in western England was a very serious situation that clearly involved a foreign actor. The base is used by United States forces. Five British nationals in their early 20s from London were arrested in the early hours Sunday, then freed on bail the next day while the probe continued.
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House the incident “might be” connected to Iran and said he would not have released the suspects. Iran denied any role. Rubio thanked British partners and warned that open threats against American interests would bring repercussions if carried out or even attempted.
Fox News reported Rubio’s remarks from the “Hannity” interview, including his caution that more details would emerge in coming days. He declined to give great detail yet, but framed the episode against foreign elements that have openly threatened U.S. interests worldwide, citing Iran as an example.
A local farmer returning home around 1 a.m. found three large white vans and hooded, masked men running away. He called police. One van carried a fake telephone number. British police declared a major incident at the base. The United Kingdom held a national emergency meeting. Security had already been beefed up in the days before, and a large cordon with roadblocks remained Tuesday morning as nearby residents returned after evacuations.
National Review reported that police received the call about 12:45 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, regarding three suspicious vehicles traveling toward RAF Fairford. Armed officers arrested five men in the Whelford area. They were held first on suspicion under the Explosives Act and later under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act, which covers preparation of terrorist acts. Army explosive ordnance teams examined the vehicles under a 400-metre cordon after about 85 households were evacuated.
Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone of Gloucestershire Police described the initial response:
"At around 12:45 a.m. today, Sunday the 27th of September, police received a call relating to three suspicious vehicles travelling towards RAF Fairford. Armed officers responded and subsequently arrested five men in the Whelford area on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act."
All five were later released on police bail with strict conditions. The investigation was not finished. Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said authorities were examining every angle, including the chance the activity involved proxies or people working knowingly or unknowingly for a foreign state.
A Reuters source familiar with the matter said the vans had not contained viable explosives and that Sunday’s police response had not been intelligence-led. Local residents said U.S. security personnel had ordered a neighbor driving past the base on Saturday night to stop and put hands out of the car.
Rubio did not name a specific country as the foreign actor in the Fairford case. He linked the episode to a broader reality:
"I think it ties us to the reality here, and that is, we are dealing with elements in the world, and in the case of Iran, for example, who have openly threatened to attack American interests globally."
He added that the United States would always take such threats seriously and that there would be repercussions for attacks or attempts. He also said:
"What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the U.K. over the weekend is a very serious situation. It's one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor."
And:
"I want to thank the U.K. for their cooperation and their help on it. There's a lot more news that will come out on this in the days to come. But there's only so much I can say right now at this point about it, other than this was a very serious thing, and it was responded to appropriately."
Trump’s public comment was shorter and sharper on the bail decision. “I wouldn’t have done that,” he said of releasing the five. The source material presents his Iran link as a “might be” assessment rather than a completed finding.
Britain raised its national terrorism threat level to the second-highest setting in April after a series of antisemitic incidents in north London. The government has also imposed sanctions on individuals and entities linked to Iran, accusing them of hostile activity that included plotting attacks and providing financial services to groups seeking to destabilize Britain and other countries. Related measures have targeted foreign state-linked groups, including Iran’s IRGC.
The Fairford base is a known site for heavy U.S. and U.K. air operations. Officials have offered limited public detail on exactly what the five men intended, what materials if any were recovered beyond the “not viable” explosives description, or which foreign state may have been involved. Names of the suspects and formal charges have not been released. Iran’s denial came the same day Trump and British police spoke.
Police stress the investigation continues. Rubio stresses the foreign-actor finding and the need for consequences when American interests are targeted. Trump stresses he would have kept the suspects locked up. Five young British men from London walked out on bail after a major incident declaration, a national emergency meeting, a cordon, and evacuations near a base that hosts U.S. forces.
Foreign threats do not pause for incomplete public files or soft bail decisions. When a secretary of state says a foreign hand was clearly involved next to an American-used base, the prudent course is hard scrutiny, hard custody, and hard consequences, not a quick release and a shrug.
