Evening Standard
· collected 2026-09-29 · by Press Association Reporters
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed that a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which involved American forces, includes involvement from a foreign actor but declined to specify further details. Five British nationals were arrested and later released on bail after three vans containing suspicious materials were found near the base; however, police confirmed the material was not viable explosives. Rubio praised UK authorities for their cooperation while emphasizing that the incident is serious and potentially tied to threats against American interests globally, particularly from Iran despite Tehran's denials of involvement.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-29,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In recent days, security measures at RAF Fairford, a U.S. Air Force base in Gloucestershire, England, significantly increased with armed police and roadblocks preventing access to the base. On Sunday morning, British police declared a major incident after suspicious vehicles were reported near the airbase; five UK nationals in their 20s were arrested and later released on bail for terror offenses under suspicion of involvement with explosives.
Local residents noted heavy vehicles and concrete barriers blocking entrances to the base weeks before the incident. Around 30 emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances, and fire engines, were stationed near the base during heightened security measures. The arrests occurred amid increased tensions between the U.S., Iran, and the UK; Iranian officials have denied involvement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested a "foreign actor" was involved, linking it to threats from adversaries like Iran, while British Prime Minister Andy Burnham indicated there are strong indications that Iran played a role in the incident, despite ongoing investigations. The U.K. and U.S. have been closely cooperating on this matter, with Burnham stating they were “on top of it.”
Written for “RAF Fairford Terror Plot Incident” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 192 other(s) covering the same event.
A suspected terror plot against an RAF base used by American forces “clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor”, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has claimed, but refused to provide further details.
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Rubio → suspect → details
Tehran has strongly denied any involvement.
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Tehran → deny → involvement
Mr Rubio described events that unfolded near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire as a “very serious situation” and thanked the British authorities for their response, saying they had been “very cooperative and very helpful”.
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they → describe → response
He also noted “a lot of people are disturbed” following the release of five suspects on bail, who had been arrested in connection with the alleged plot.
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who → note → plot
The British nationals were detained on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism on Sunday after three vans were found near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which has been used by the US military to carry out strikes against Iran.
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which → detain → Iran
Residents evacuated from about 85 households were able to return home on Monday, but a cordon remained in place around the vehicles as counter terrorism officers continue to examine the scene.
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officers → evacuate → scene
It is understood that the material found was not viable explosives, but police have said the investigation is continuing.
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investigation → understand → ?
Speaking to Fox News, Mr Rubio said: “I have to be careful.
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I → speak → News
There’s some things I cannot say on the air for a lot of different reasons.
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I → ’ → reasons
“Suffice it to say that what happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation.
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what → suffice → weekend
“It’s one that clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor.
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that → ’ → actor
I won’t get into great detail about that yet.
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I → get → that
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“I do want to thank the authorities in the United Kingdom who have been very cooperative and on top of it.”
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who → read → it
He added: “I know a lot of people are disturbed by the news that some of these people have been released on bail, as some of the people are being investigated, and obviously we’re engaging with them on all of that.
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we → add → that
“Beyond that, I would argue that they’ve been very cooperative and very helpful on something that’s a very serious incident.”
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that → argue → something
Mr Rubio went on: “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.
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who → go → interests
“We’re going to always take that very seriously.
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We → go → that
There’ll be repercussions for that if it ever were to happen or even attempted.
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it → happen → that
“But what happened this weekend could have been and was, I think, a very serious threat.
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I → happen → ?
I want to thank the UK for their cooperation and their help on it.
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I → want → it
“There’s a lot more news that’ll 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.”
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it → ’ → it
Earlier, the head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, acknowledged speculation on whether Iran was behind the incident and said the force was considering “every possible angle”.
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force → acknowledge → angle
In a statement outside New Scotland Yard on Monday, Mr Taylor said he knew there was “significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident”.
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context → say → incident
He said: “At Counter Terrorism Policing, we are working within this context every single day and, at this stage, we are keeping an open mind in this investigation.
“We have, as you would expect, ensured that our protective security advice and posture remain commensurate to the threat.
“
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advice → say → threat
But be 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.”
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this → assure → state
Iran, and other hostile states including Russia, have been known to use criminal proxies to carry out crimes on their behalf on UK soil.
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Iran → include → soil
The country’s London embassy earlier said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations” of Iranian involvement.
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it → say → involvement
Mr Taylor said the men were released on bail under “stringent conditions” on Monday but “absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry”.
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we → say → inquiry
Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a Cobra meeting on Monday.
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Burnham → chair → Monday
After the meeting, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the decisions around bail were operational matters for the police and prosecutors, and the investigation remained ongoing.
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investigation → say → police
Speaking in the White House on Monday, Mr Trump said: “I will tell you, I would have said ‘Don’t let them have bail’.
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them → speak → bail
I’m surprised that they released them.
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they → ’m → them
I wouldn’t have done that.”
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I → do → that
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