Fairford Five Bailed Under Strict Conditions as Trump Objects
All five men arrested near the airbase were released on police bail on Monday afternoon. “To be very clear, this does not mean the investigation is over,” said Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor. “They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry.” All five are British nationals in their twenties, based in London.
Police are pointedly not naming a culprit while pointedly leaving the door open: they are keeping an open mind but considering the case “from every possible angle, including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state”. The American president was less restrained, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “I would have said, don’t let them have bail… I’m surprised that they released them.” Asked whether Iran was involved, he replied: “I’d rather not. I mean, I know the answer. I can be very specific, but I’d rather not say it. But I would not have released them.” A foreign head of state second-guessing a British bail decision is its own small diplomatic problem. The men were held first under the Explosives Act, then under section 5 of the Terrorism Act. The bail conditions have not been published. Watch whether anyone is charged.