Iran denies role in alleged plot on UK base used by US as suspects bailed

Tehran condemns ‘unfounded and malicious speculation’ around the attack on the US-used base, as the UK foreign secretary pledges to ‘act against the proxies of Iran’.

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Police in the United Kingdom have released five men on bail following their arrest for suspected “terrorism” and explosives offences near an airbase in western England as Iran denied any involvement in the alleged plot.

UK police said on Monday that they are investigating whether individuals acting for a foreign state were involved in an apparent plot to attack the airbase, which hosts US military aircraft that have been used in attacks against Iran amid the US-Israel war on the Middle Eastern nation.

The released suspects, five British men from London in their early 20s, were arrested in the vicinity of the base and detained on Sunday morning on suspicion of the “preparation of a terrorist act”.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on Monday that the UK must be prepared to “confront” all security threats facing Europe and the world, adding: “We will act against the proxies of Iran.” Iran has denied any involvement in the suspected plot.

Iran’s embassy in London condemned the “fabricated speculations” linking Tehran to the incident in a statement on Monday.

The embassy said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets”, asserting that the accusations would fuel “Iranophobia propaganda” in the UK.

Iran reserves the right to “take appropriate legal measures”, it added.

UK police have not thus far linked Iran to the arrests as the Counter Terrorism Policing agency continues investigating.

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Security officials are exploring “multiple lines of enquiry” on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and “preparation of a terrorist act”.

The UK government gave the US authorisation to use bombers based at RAF Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that UK police should not have released the five suspects. “I’m surprised that they released them; I wouldn’t have done that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

On Sunday, a source familiar with the investigation said an Iranian-linked motive is considered the most likely, while a Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot were also being looked at.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had said in July that the Fairford base was a legitimate target.

UK police arrested the five men after receiving a tip that three suspicious vehicles appeared to be heading towards the base in southwest England.

On Monday afternoon, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing said the five were being released on bail “following extensive interviews and inquiries”.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor added: “To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others”.

The US president said the suspects had been looking to ‌‌do “big damage” and had been under investigation by UK and US authorities “for a long time, and we got them”.

⁠UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham ⁠⁠was due on Monday to chair a meeting of the COBRA emergency ‌‌response team as authorities continue to investigate.