Five men detained Sunday near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England were arrested on terrorism charges after being initially held under the Explosives Act, triggering warnings from former U.S. intelligence and defense officials about a potentially coordinated attack on the critical American military installation.
British counterterrorism police moved quickly to act on the arrests. Former Defense Intelligence Agency official Andrew Badger told Fox News Digital that the operation showed significant sophistication.
"This isn't just some type of amateur lone wolf operation," Badger said, noting the involvement of five individuals and three separate vans. He suggested the plot could have involved a vehicle-borne explosive device targeting the base's perimeter and strategic assets.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that U.S. authorities had monitored the suspects prior to their arrest.
"We had them under investigation. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them," Trump told reporters in Chicago.
Former Trump White House official Morgan Murphy said investigators would conduct extensive searches of evidence.
"Every phone, bank record and rental receipt will be run through British and American intelligence," Murphy told Fox News Digital.
According to Sky News, counterterrorism police have been investigating whether Iran maintains links to the suspected bomb plot. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps previously warned that "any base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory is a legitimate target for our forces."
RAF Fairford has played a strategic role in recent operations involving Iran. The U.K. government previously authorized U.S. forces to use the base and Diego Garcia for limited defensive operations, including strikes on Iranian missiles and launchers.
A local councilor confirmed to Reuters that there had been a specific security alert at Fairford approximately six weeks before Sunday's arrests, with heightened surveillance implemented in response.
Badger cautioned against premature conclusions about Iranian responsibility, noting that "there are other actors as well." He said investigators will need to follow actual evidence rather than convenient attribution.
Murphy indicated that Trump will ultimately decide how Tehran "pays" if conclusive evidence proves Iranian involvement.
