Marco Rubio of the US claims that a “foreign actor” was involved in the UK airfield incident.

A “foreign actor” was allegedly involved in a bomb plan close to a US military airbase in the United Kingdom, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Five men in their early to mid-20s, all British nationals from London, were taken into custody by police on Sunday when a local farmer reported three white vans approaching RAF Fairford, a British site where US bombers conduct missions against Iran.

In an apparent conspiracy to assault the airfield, the counterterrorism police announced on Monday that they were looking into whether someone was operating on behalf of a foreign power. Subsequently, they declared that the suspects would be freed on bond.

Commenting on the suspected plot and arrests on the Hannity programme on Fox News late on Monday, Rubio said, “What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation.” “It’s one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor. I won’t get into great detail about that yet,” he added.

The Fairford base was declared a lawful target by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in July. In a statement released on Monday, Iran’s embassy in London stated that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unsubstantiated and malicious suspicions” that it was involved, claiming that doing so would encourage “Iranophobia propaganda” in the UK.

Trump claimed on Sunday that the suspects had been “under investigation” by the US and the UK for some time and that “they were trying to inflict tremendous harm to our fort.” Trump stated on Monday that the case “could be” connected to Iran after learning that suspects were being freed on bond, but he did not provide further details.

In order to attack Iranian missiles at their source, the UK authorized the US to use Fairford for “specific defensive operations into Iran” in March. Since then, the base—the only one on the British mainland used for this purpose—has seen US bombers and other aircraft take off and land.

The complex, which houses a variety of US military personnel and equipment, has experienced increased activity and security in recent months, according to locals in the rural Cotswolds area surrounding Fairford.

In March, the UK gave the US permission to deploy Fairford for “particular defensive operations into Iran” in order to target Iranian missiles at their source. Since then, US bombers and other aircraft have taken off and landed at the base, which is the only one on the British mainland utilized for this purpose. Locals in the rural Cotswolds region near Fairford claim that the facility, which is home to a variety of US military personnel and equipment, has seen an increase in activity and security in recent months.