UK security services had prior knowledge of a group of men later arrested on Sunday over an alleged bomb plot targeting an RAF base used by the US military, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has suggested.
On Sunday, the UK police arrested five men on terrorism charges after three vans were spotted near RAF Fairford with explosives. The RAF Fairford is a US-operated air force base in England which the US uses for its operations in West Asia, including striking Iran.
However, UK's investigators have not yet found whether the incident was linked any other other state country. They are probing possible links to Russia, Iran, and even non-state-backed militant groups, according to a report by Associated Press.
Deep Dive
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During the wee hours of Sunday, a woman driving near the base spotted the three suspicious vehicles and alerted the police at around 12.45 am. However, she told BBC on Monday that it seemed like the security services had “really dropped the ball on this”.
Also read: RAF Fairford: UK police arrest several men under explosives act in ‘major incident’ near US air base
{{/usCountry}}Also read: RAF Fairford: UK police arrest several men under explosives act in ‘major incident’ near US air base
{{/usCountry}}However, when Streeting spoke to BBC later, he said that the woman had a “partial picture” even as he expressed his gratitude to her.
According to the UK Police, all the men who were arrested are British nationals from London and are in their 20s.
Were Trump's claims true?
After the arrests, US President Donald Trump claimed that the US and the UK worked together to foil the attack and that they had the men “under review for a long time”.
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Trump called the arrests made in the UK “an amazing job” and said, “The arrest in the UK was fantastic”.
"We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort and working with the British worked out great ... We had them under view for a long time, and we got them," Trump told reporters on Sunday.
When Streeting was asked about the same, he thanked the US President for his words, refusing on elaborate or reject it.
“Our security services and our police, they don’t ask for praise, but I think it was a proud moment yesterday to see the president of the United States recognise the extraordinary work that our police and our security and intelligence services do every day throughout the year and throughout the world to keep us safe. That’s all I want to say this morning on that,” he said.
After the incident, the US Air Force said that their personnel at the UK base “remain vigilant” but refused to share any force protection measures.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in London also warned Americans in the UK to be stay cautious.
(With inputs from AP)