UK Frees Five Fairford Suspects on Bail; Trump Says He Would Not Have Let Them Out

Five British men arrested near RAF Fairford on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses were released on police bail Monday afternoon, Counter Terrorism Policing announced. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said the decision followed “extensive interviews and inquiries” and does not close the case. “They absolutely remain under investigation,” he told reporters outside New Scotland Yard. The men are subject to “stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others.” They had been held about 38 hours. The Terrorism Act allows detention without charge for up to 14 days. No charges have been filed.

Police identified them as UK nationals ages 23 to 25, all from London: a 24-year-old from Camden; three men, 23, 24 and 25, from Westminster; and a 24-year-old from Willesden. They have not been named. They were first held under the Explosives Act after three vans were stopped near Whelford in the early hours of Sunday, then further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. Some reporting said no viable explosives were recovered at the scene. About 85 evacuated households were allowed to return Monday.

Taylor said officers are still examining “multiple lines of inquiry,” including whether the men acted as proxies “knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.” He listed Iran, Russia, and non-state militant groups among possibilities and asked the public not to speculate. The Iranian Embassy in London “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” reports tying Tehran to the incident. Fairford, a Royal Air Force station used by U.S. bombers in the Iran campaign, was the intended vicinity of the vans.

President Trump, speaking at the Oval Office after the bail announcement, said he was “surprised” the five were released. “We know everything about them, we would not have released them,” he said. He asked whether the British process amounted to “cashless bail,” called that a problem the United States is ending, and added that London had “worked with us very closely.” He did not rule out an Iranian connection. The investigation continues. The five remain unnamed and uncharged.