Foreign actors in thwarted airbase terror plot, Rubio claims

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday evening that foreign actors were clearly involved in a recent plot against an American military base in Britain. U.K. police on Sunday arrested five British citizens, all men in their mid-20s, near the RAF Fairford base on suspicion of a terror plot involving explosives. Speaking to Fox News, Rubio said the situation could have been very serious. There would be repercussions for the threat to U.S. interests, he said.

Rubio did not name the foreign actors involved, but said the United States was facing threats from several countries, including Iran, according to Fox. The RAF Fairford base is home to American bombers used for some of its strikes on Iran. The State Department declined to provide further details.

Iran’s embassy in the U.K. denied that the Tehran government was in any way linked to the recent arrests. It decried “unfounded and malicious speculations” by media outlets and threatened to take legal action against those furthering those suspicions.

The terror suspects are all residents of London. Police released them on bail Monday afternoon, with strict conditions on their movement and communication, according to U.K. counterterrorism police. The investigation was ongoing, and foreign actors may be involved, police said.