Donald Trump says he is ‘surprised’ five RAF Fairford terror suspects were released on bail

President Donald Trump has said he is ‘surprised’ the five suspects were released on bail over the suspected terror plot near an RAF base and that he ‘wouldn’t have done that’.

Police have confirmed that the five British nationals, who were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosive offences on Sunday after three suspicious vans were found near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, have now been released on bail as the investigation continues.

It is understood the material found was not viable explosives.

Speaking outside Scotland Yard on Monday (28 September), the head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said: “Following extensive interviews and inquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon.

“To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others.

Five men who were arrested near the RAF base have since been released on bail (David Bown/Getty Images)

"They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry.”

Speaking this evening from the Oval Office, Trump said he was ‘surprised’ that the five men had been granted bail and suggested the alleged plot ‘might be’ linked to Iran.

He said: “I will tell you, I would have said ‘Don’t let them have bail’.

“I’m surprised that they released them. I wouldn’t have done that.”

However, he then went on to praise the UK police, adding: “They’ve been very good. They worked with us very closely. We know everything about them [the suspects]. We would not have released them.”

The UK has allowed the US military to use RAF Fairford to launch attacks on Iran.

Iran has denied any involvement in the incident, with Tehran’s embassy in London condemning what it described as ‘unfounded and malicious speculation’.

Police have said they're keeping an open mind amid the ongoing investigation (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

Addressing the speculation, Counter Terrorism chief Taylor said police are keeping an open mind and are ‘considering every angle’.

“I also know there is significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident,” he said.

“At Counter Terrorism Policing, we are working within this context every single day and, at this stage, we are keeping an open mind in this investigation.

“We have, as you would expect, ensured that our protective security advice and posture remain commensurate to the threat.

“But be assured, we are considering this 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.

“To respond to incidents such as these, rapid mobilisation is necessary, as we cannot take the risk whilst assessing that threat.

“However, once we understand the threat more clearly, we seek to return affected communities to normality as quickly as possible.”

The farmer who first called 999 has spoken out

A local farmer who claimed to be the first person to alert the police after she spotted the vans and a group of masked men in the early hours of the morning has spoken out about the incident.

RAF Fairford on a map (LADbible/Google Maps)

“Thinking about it now, and what could have happened if they had tried to stop me from driving away, I am quite lucky,” she told The Telegraph.

“It is pretty incredible, realising you had a brush with potential terrorists face to face and may have foiled a terrorist plot. It was clear they had just got there. Thank God we spotted them.”

She also claimed that cops had ‘dropped the ball’.

“A plucky amateur shouldn’t be spotting an unusual bit of activity at 1am when the air base is on high alert,” she said.

“I think it’s absolutely astonishing.”