US President Donald Trump has questioned why British authorities released five men on bail after they were arrested near a UK airbase used by the United States, saying the case could potentially be connected to Iran.
The five men were arrested early Sunday near Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in Gloucestershire, southwest England, following a suspected plot involving the US-used military facility.
British counter-terrorism police said Monday that the suspects, all London-based British men in their 20s, had been released on bail while investigations continue.
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Authorities are examining whether a foreign state could have played a role in the incident, but have not publicly identified any country as being responsible.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump expressed surprise at the decision to release the suspects.
“I’m surprised that they released them. I wouldn’t have done that,” Trump said, adding that British authorities had been working closely with the United States.
“We know everything about them. We would not have released them,” he said.
Trump was later asked whether he believed Iran was connected to the incident.
“It might be,” he replied.
However, the US president declined to provide further details, saying he knew the answer but preferred not to disclose it publicly.
“I’d rather not. I mean I know the answer, I could be very specific, but I’d rather not say. I would not have released them,” Trump said.
The arrests have drawn attention because RAF Fairford has been used by US military aircraft, including bombers, in operations connected to the conflict involving Iran.
British authorities have yet to establish publicly that Iran was involved in the alleged plot. The investigation remains ongoing.
Iran has also denied any involvement in a plot targeting the airbase.
The suspects’ release on bail does not mean they have been cleared of wrongdoing. British police can continue investigating while the men remain subject to bail conditions.
For now, the central questions surrounding the arrests remain unresolved: what the suspects allegedly intended to do near the airbase, who may have been behind the activity and whether any foreign state had a role.
Source: France 24 | Culled by Ed O Mike
