Trump faults UK bail release of Fairford suspects

A farmer driving home near Whelford at 1 a.m. on Sept. 27 found three white vans blocking a quiet rural road. She saw eight to ten hooded and masked men at the junction. When they spotted her they scattered into the fields and toward Kempsford.

She could not reach Ministry of Defence police. At 1:36 a.m. she dialed 999. Armed officers and a helicopter surrounded the vans within minutes, only 300 meters from the perimeter of RAF Fairford. Police arrested five British men in their 20s on suspicion of explosives offences and preparing a terrorist act.

By morning Gloucestershire Police had declared a major incident. A 400-meter security cordon sealed the scene. Army bomb disposal units moved in. More than 80 households in Whelford were evacuated; the final count reached 85. A five-mile no-fly zone closed the airspace above the base. Balloons, kites and paragliders were banned.

bomb disposal experts and forensic and military teams examined the three vans. Police later stated the items recovered were not viable explosives. On Monday, Sept. 28, the five men were released on police bail under stringent conditions. They remain under investigation.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, said the men “absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry.” Officers are examining the case from every angle, including whether the activity was committed by proxies or by individuals knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.

The suspects are a 24-year-old from Camden, three men aged 23, 24 and 25 from Westminster, and one 24-year-old from Willesden. All are British nationals from London.

President Donald Trump addressed the bail decision from the Oval Office. “I’m surprised that they released them,” he said. “I wouldn’t have done that.” He added, “I will tell you, I would have said ‘Don’t let them have bail.’” Trump stated the men had been “under view for a long time” and were positioned to cause “big damage.” “We know everything about them, we would not have released them,” he said. Of the British effort he noted, “They’ve been very good. They worked with us very closely.” On a possible Iran connection he said “it might be.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was more direct. The episode “clearly involved the hands of a foreign actor,” Rubio said, while adding he was limited in what further detail he could provide. Florida Rep. Kat Cammack asserted Iran was “clearly involved,” without supplying public evidence.

The base itself had been placed in the line of fire months earlier. On Feb. 28, 2026, U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began. On March 1 the United Kingdom agreed to American use of RAF Fairford for operations. On July 23 the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared UK airbases legitimate targets. Fairford is the principal mainland British site from which U.S. aircraft have flown those missions.