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UK police say no explosive devices found in airbase probe
Counterterrorism police said the five suspects remain under investigation after extensive searches found petrol in the vans but no improvised explosive devices.
British police released five men arrested near Royal Air Force Fairford on Monday after detaining them on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, prompting Washington to question the decision.
Three white vans were discovered Sunday near the airfield, which Britain authorized Washington to use for 'specific defensive operations into Iran' in March. Armed police detained the men and examined the vehicles with 'military assets.'
US President Donald Trump told reporters Monday he was 'surprised' by the release, adding 'I wouldn't have done that.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the incident 'a very serious situation... that clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor.'
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor insisted officers were keeping an 'open mind' and considering 'every possible angle,' including potential 'proxies' working for a foreign state. Iran's embassy in London 'categorically rejects and strongly condemns' speculation regarding Tehran's involvement.
Patricia, a 60-year-old resident in the neighboring village of Kempsford, told AFP the situation was 'very embarrassing that people around the world thought it was a terrorist attack but in the end no-- it's a lot of noise for nothing.
After arresting five people near the site used by the US and British armies in Fairford on Sunday, the security forces seem to backtrack this Tuesday night.
Five men, all British and between 23 and 25 years of age, had been arrested for "preparing for a terrorist act" near a Royal Air Force base used by the US Army in southwestern England before being released on bail on Monday.