President Donald Trump said he was surprised British authorities released five men arrested near a key U.S.-used air base on bail, while still praising Scotland Yard’s judgment.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump addressed the decision to free the men held after arrests near Fairford Air Base in Gloucestershire, England. The base has long been used by the United States and has been described as a critical facility amid the ongoing Iran war.
Five men were arrested in late September near the base, then released on bail while remaining under investigation. Trump made plain he was caught off guard by that outcome, even as he deferred to British policing.
“I was surprised at that. We are going to speak. They were released on bail. I have a lot of respect, however, for Scotland Yard. I think they know what they're doing, but I was a little bit surprised,” Trump told reporters.
British police had arrested the five men near RAF Fairford on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences. Armed officers acted after a tip about suspicious vans heading toward the American-used air base.
Reuters reported that local residents in 85 homes were evacuated and a 400-metre cordon went up while bomb disposal teams checked the vans. Authorities described the incident as contained, with security raised at related sites.
A local farmer said he spotted the activity around 1:30 a.m. He reported three white vans and hooded, masked men near the base who fled into the woods. That call drove the rapid police response.
The farmer told the BBC he saw “a group of Middle Eastern-looking young guys running off through the trees. Some of them had masks or balaclavas on.”
Counter-terror officials later identified the five as British nationals and London residents, ages 23 to 25, from areas including Camden, Willesden, and Westminster. They were released on bail after extensive interviews.
Breitbart noted Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor’s caution that release does not mean the investigation is over. Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said probes continue, “including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.”
Vicki Evans, Counter Terrorism Policing Senior National Coordinator, had earlier said the force was in the early stages of an investigation and that the five men remained in custody at that point. British authorities later confirmed the men were still under investigation after bail.
Investigators have treated an Iranian-linked motive as the most likely track, while also examining possible Russian sabotage or an Islamist plot. RAF Fairford hosts U.S. Air Force assets and has been used for missions related to Iran.
Iran’s embassy denied any connection. Fox News reported the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations” linking Iran to the arrests near the base.
Trump had praised the original arrest itself. He told reporters the arrest in the UK was “fantastic,” adding that the men “were looking to do big damage to our fort and working with the British worked out great.”
That earlier assessment sits beside his later surprise at the bail decision. He said U.S. officials “are going to speak” with the British side, without detailing the timing or the agenda.
Specific charges, statutes, and bail conditions have not been laid out in full public detail. The men’s names have not been released. Primary charging papers and bail orders have not been produced in the available accounts.
What is established is narrower and harder to dismiss. Five men were seized near a U.S.-used base after a civilian tip about vans and masked figures. Bomb teams swept the scene. Homes were cleared. Counter-terror police kept the case open after bail. And the American president, while saluting Scotland Yard, said the release left him surprised.
Allies share intelligence and share risk. When suspects held near a base that supports American operations walk free on bail, the public is entitled to straight answers on who they are, what the evidence shows, and why release was the next step.
