US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the suspected panic crippled astatine RAF Fairford "clearly involves the hands of a overseas actor".
In an interrogation with Fox News connected Monday, Rubio said "I deliberation it ties america to the world here, and that is we are dealing with elements successful the world, and successful the lawsuit of Iran, for example, who person openly threatened to onslaught American interests globally".
He did not supply grounds oregon further details. Tehran has powerfully denied immoderate involvement.
A large incidental was declared astatine the play aft "suspicious vehicles" were seen adjacent the RAF basal successful Gloucestershire, which has been utilized by US forces to transportation retired strikes against Iran.
Dozens of homes were evacuated aft the 3 vehicles were reported to constabulary successful the aboriginal hours of Sunday morning.
Five men, who are each UK nationals successful their 20s, were arrested connected suspicion of panic offences, and aboriginal released connected bail.
On Monday Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, caput of Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP), said officers are considering each angles, including that "this whitethorn beryllium enactment committed by proxies, oregon individuals either knowingly oregon unknowingly, moving connected behalf of a overseas state".
In his comments to Fox News, Rubio said: "What could person happened successful the UK implicit the play is simply a precise superior situation." He added: "There's a batch much quality that'll travel retired connected this successful the days to come, but there's lone truthful overmuch I tin accidental close present astatine this constituent astir it."
The Iranian embassy successful London said it "categorically rejects and powerfully condemns" what it called "unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Iran to the incident.
The RAF basal has been utilized arsenic a guardant operating determination by the US Air Force (USAF) for decades.
In caller months, US bombers person taken disconnected from the basal for the Middle East, aft the UK approved a US petition to usage it for what the authorities calls antiaircraft strikes connected Iran.
In July, Iran said "any basal utilized for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a morganatic people for our forces".
According to CTP, the 5 men - aged betwixt 23 and 25 and from London - stay nether investigation, and their merchandise is "subject to stringent conditions connected their question and interaction with others".
English (US)·