Rubio says RAF Fairford terror plot involved ‘foreign actor’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that a recent foiled terrorist plot near a British military base used by the United States involved a “foreign actor,” linking the incident to global threats from adversaries such as Iran.

“What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the U.K. this weekend is a very serious situation,” Rubio told Fox News’ “Hannity” Monday night. “This is a case that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor.”

“I won’t go into detail about that yet.”

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Rubio added that there would be “repercussions” for threats against U.S. interests.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told ‘Hannity’ on Monday evening that the foiled attack in the UK appears to be the work of a ‘foreign actor’. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AFP)

“I think that connects us to the reality here, which is that we are dealing with elements around the world, and in the case of Iran, for example, who have openly threatened to attack American interests on a global scale,” he continued. “We will always take this very seriously. There will be repercussions if this ever happens or even if it is attempted.”

Rubio thanks his partners in the UK for helping to thwart the “very serious threat” of an attack.

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“I would like to thank the United Kingdom for its cooperation and assistance,” he said. “There will be a lot more news on this in the days to come. But there’s not much I can say at this point at this point other than it was a very serious thing and has been responded to appropriately.”

British police declared a major incident at the RAF Fairford base in western England following the arrests on Sunday morning, and the government held a national emergency meeting.

Police, however, released the five on bail on Monday, but said the investigation was not complete and they were examining whether individuals acting on behalf of a foreign state were involved.

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President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that the incident “could be” linked to Iran, with which the United States has been at war since late February, and that he would not have released the suspects on bail.

“I wouldn’t have done that,” he said.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the three large white vans the men appeared to be traveling in did not contain viable explosives.

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Reuters’ source said the police response on Sunday was not based on intelligence – indicating the five men were not under direct surveillance – but that security had been increased at the base, suggesting there was information it was being targeted.

The five people arrested are all British nationals in their twenties from London. They were arrested early on Sunday after police were alerted by a local farmer to the three white vans parked near RAF Fairford.

Local residents said security had been significantly increased at the base in the days leading up to Sunday. The local farmer told reporters that a neighbor, driving past the base Saturday evening, was ordered by U.S. security personnel to stop and remove his hands from his car.

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The farmer, who asked to remain anonymous, called police after returning home around 1 a.m. local time to find three large vans parked on the road, including one with a fake phone number, and a group of hooded and masked men running away.

A large cordon remained around the base Tuesday morning and roadblocks were in place, although local media reported that residents of evacuated nearby homes were returning.

Police guard a road leading to RAF Fairford in Fairford, England, Monday September 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Western governments have warned in recent years of the threat of hostile actors from Iran, Russia and elsewhere staging destabilizing activities or hiring proxies to carry out plots.

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Britain raised its domestic terror threat level to the second highest in April after a series of anti-Semitic incidents in north London, meaning an attack is considered highly likely.

It also imposed sanctions on individuals and entities linked to Iran, accusing them of being involved in hostile activities, including planning attacks and providing financial services to groups seeking to destabilize Britain and other countries.

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Iran has denied involvement in attacks or plots in Britain and elsewhere, and on Monday denied any involvement in the Fairford incident.

Reuters contributed to this report.