Rubio says U.K. airbase incident involved a foreign state

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the “hands of a foreign actor” ‌were involved in an incident in which five men were arrested on suspected explosives ​and terrorism offences near a British airbase used by U.S. forces to strike Iran.

British ⁠police declared a major incident at the RAF Fairford base in western England following the arrests early on Sunday (September 27, 2026), and the government held a national emergency meeting.

However, the police released the five on bail on Monday (September 28), but said ‌the investigation was not over and they were examining whether individuals acting for a foreign State were involved.

A source familiar with the situation told Reuters that three large ‌white vans the men appeared to travel in had not contained viable explosives.