US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that five men arrested near a British air base used by American forces had planned to cause “big damage”, claiming authorities had been monitoring them long before their detention.
Speaking to reporters, Trump praised cooperation between US and British authorities following the arrests near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
“We had them under investigation,” he said, adding that the suspects had been watched “for a long time”.
His remarks introduced a claim of prior surveillance into an investigation British police have described as being at an early stage. Trump did not explain how long the monitoring had lasted or provide details of the alleged plot.
Armed officers arrested the five men early on Sunday after police received a report of three suspicious vehicles apparently heading towards the airfield.
The men were initially detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and subsequently arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. Counterterrorism police are leading the investigation.
Around 85 households were evacuated as a precaution, while military bomb disposal specialists examined the vehicles inside a security cordon. Police said they believed the incident was contained.
Fairford has been used by US bombers during the war with Iran, placing the installation at the centre of heightened security concerns.
British investigators had not publicly identified those they believed were behind the suspected plot. Trump’s account of the intended damage remained an assertion by the president as detectives continued their inquiries.
