\n<\/p>\n
British police said on Monday they were investigating whether individuals acting for a foreign state were involved in an apparent \u200bplot to attack an airbase used by the United States but said five suspects they had arrested would be released on bail.<\/strong><\/p>\n The five men, all British nationals \u200cfrom London in their early 20s, were detained early on Sunday after police were alerted by a local farmer about three white vans driving towards RAF Fairford, a British base that houses US bombers that fly missions against Iran.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards said in July the base was a legitimate target.<\/p>\n Laurence Taylor, who heads Britain\u2019s counter-terrorism police, said the men, who had been arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and planning a terrorist act, would \u200bbe released under stringent bail conditions later on Monday.<\/p>\n INVESTIGATION IS NOT OVER<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cTo be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over,\u201d Taylor said in a \u200bstatement outside London police headquarters. \u201cThey absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry.\u201d<\/p>\n A source familiar with the investigation had previously \u2060told Reuters that an Iranian-linked motive was considered the most likely, although a Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot were also being looked at as possibilities.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s embassy in London had earlier said \u200bin a statement it \u201ccategorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations\u201d that it was involved, which it said would fuel \u201cIranophobia propaganda\u201d in Britain.<\/p>\n Taylor, who did not specifically refer \u200bto Iran, said he knew there was significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context had a bearing on this incident.<\/p>\n \u201cBe assured, we are considering this from every possible angle, including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.\u201d<\/p>\n POLICE REMAIN AT SCENE<\/strong><\/p>\n Taylor said the three white vans had been subject to extensive examination, with the support of \u200bthe military and forensic experts, and police still had \u201csignificant resources deployed at the scene\u201d.<\/p>\n US President Donald Trump said on Sunday the suspects had been looking to do \u201cbig damage\u201d and had \u200bbeen under investigation by British and US authorities. However, doubts were voiced in British media about the degree to which they had been under surveillance, given how close they had come to the base.<\/p>\n The \u200csource familiar with \u2060the investigation said the arrests were not \u201cintelligence-led\u201d, although security had been heightened at the base, suggesting authorities were aware of an increased threat.<\/p>\n The farmer who alerted the police told reporters she had seen a group of \u201chooded and masked men\u201d running into fields. The farmer, who has not been identified, said she believed it was her phone call to the 999 emergency hotline that foiled any plot and that she thought she had seen up to 10 people at the scene.<\/p>\n Defence minister Wes Streeting told the BBC the farmer had only a \u201cpartial picture\u201d of the investigation, without providing further \u200bclarification.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that Iran and their proxies wish \u200bto do us harm. We know that \u2060they hate our democracy, and we know that we regularly have to thwart Iranian attempts to threaten either our interests or indeed our allies,\u201d Streeting said.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would chair a meeting of the government\u2019s emergency response committee later on Monday.<\/p>\n TERRORISM THREAT SEVERE<\/strong><\/p>\n Britain raised its \u200bnational terrorism threat level to its second highest level in April after a series of antisemitic incidents in north London, meaning an attack is considered \u200bhighly likely.<\/p>\n Police said they were \u2060investigating links with Iran to many of those incidents in which properties connected to the Jewish community or Iranian dissidents were targeted.<\/p>\n After the Fairford arrests, the US Embassy issued a security alert saying US citizens should \u201cexercise caution\u201d and be \u201cmindful of personal security\u201d. Security was stepped up at other US airbases in Britain.<\/p>\n The British government had given authorisation to the US to use bombers based at \u2060Fairford to strike \u200bIranian missile sites attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n In Fairford, police imposed a 400-metre cordon around the \u200bbase and evacuated residents from 85 homes in the nearby village of Whelford.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to the excellent work of the army\u2019s explosive ordnance disposal team, the scene is now safe, and the residents of Whelford will shortly be returning \u200bhome,\u201d British interior minister Shabana Mahmood said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n