The U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said a “foreign actor” was behind an incident over the weekend at a British air base used primarily by American military forces, calling it a “very serious situation” without providing details or evidence.
Five men were arrested early Sunday on suspicion of explosives violations and of preparing a terrorist act after local residents tipped off the police. The men were released Monday evening on bail, an unexpected development that suggested the British authorities had not found enough evidence to link the suspects to a specific act.
Speaking on Fox News on Monday evening, Mr. Rubio praised British officials for working closely with the United States. He said that “a lot of people are disturbed” by the news that the suspects were released on bail but indicated that the release did not minimize the severity of what happened at the base.
“I have to be careful — there’s some things I cannot say on the air for a lot of different reasons,” he said. “Suffice it to say that what happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the U.K. over the weekend is a very serious situation.”
He added, “It’s one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor,” without providing evidence or details for that claim.
Mr. Rubio did not identify what country he believed was behind the incident. But he mentioned Iran, which is at war with the United States, as the kind of country that could be capable of such an attack. Many national security experts have suggested Iran is a possible culprit.
“We are dealing with elements in the world, and in the case of Iran, for example, who have openly threatened to attack American interest globally, we’re going to always take that very seriously,” Mr. Rubio said.
The Iranian Embassy in London said in a statement Monday that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” what it called “unfounded and malicious speculations” that Iran was involved.
British officials, including Prime Minister Andy Burnham, have urged people not to speculate about who might be responsible while the investigation is ongoing.
If that turns out to be the case, plotting to commit an attack inside Britain would be a major escalation by Tehran against a western country in apparent retaliation for the American and Israeli-led war against Iran. In July, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran threatened R.A.F. Fairford, the base, which U.S. long-range bombers have been using to conduct strikes since the spring. The Guards Corps warned at the time that the British government’s decision to allow strikes from there would make it “a legitimate target for our forces.”
President Trump told reporters Monday evening that the suspects might be connected to Iran but refused to elaborate, adding: “I know the answer. I can be very specific, but I’d rather not say it.” He also expressed surprise at the decision to release them.
Mr. Rubio, in the Fox News interview, said “There’s a lot more news that will come out on this in the days to come.”
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