STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
President Trump is questioning why five men, British officials initially described as terror suspects, have now been released on bail.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Today, counterterrorism officials are still investigating the masked men who were arrested in the middle of the night with suspicious vehicles near a British airbase used by U.S. bombers striking Iran. But they're also looking at less serious crimes.
INSKEEP: What's going on here? NPR's Lauren Frayer is in London. Hi there, Lauren.
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: OK. So British officials and the Trump administration seem to describe this incident differently. What are they saying?
FRAYER: Well, President Trump initially said about the suspects, quote, "we had them under investigation," and, "we know everything about them," suggesting some sort of transatlantic intelligence collaboration.
INSKEEP: Yeah.
FRAYER: Then in the Oval Office last night, he expressed surprise when asked by reporters about the suspects' release.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Over there, I'm surprised that they released them. I wouldn't have done that. Look; they've been very good. They worked with us very closely. We know everything about them. We would not have released them.
FRAYER: Trump was also asked whether Iran is linked to these suspects. He said it might be, but he'd rather not say. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also asked about this. He told Fox News it, quote, "clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor" but did not name a specific country. Iran, for its part, denies any involvement. The embassy here in London calls that malicious speculation.
INSKEEP: OK. That's what the U.S. is saying. That's what the Iranians are saying. What are the British saying?
FRAYER: That the suspects are British nationals ranging in age from 23 to 25 - home addresses in London, couple hours' drive from where this incident took place. The head of British Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, announcing the suspects' release on bail last night also noted what he called the geopolitical context. He said investigators are considering every possible angle, including that the men could be what he called proxies working, quote, "knowingly or unknowingly" on behalf of a foreign state.
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LAURENCE TAYLOR: Often this threat becomes visible to us as criminal activity, often at a small scale and committed by individuals whose primary aim is not terrorism but a quick financial gain. It can be harder to spot.
FRAYER: So he said what looks like petty crime could actually be the work of a foreign state. He acknowledged this is confusing. He asked people not to speculate, and give investigators time to figure this out. Incidentally, this is an area where residents say there's been thefts of diesel fuel and fertilizer, which...
INSKEEP: Ah.
FRAYER: ...Is linked to Iran because the Iran war's pushed up prices. Yesterday, British diesel actually hit a record high of $10 a gallon.
INSKEEP: OK. So I think Laurence Taylor there is essentially telling us, keep an open mind. Don't assume what has happened here until more is known. So what...
FRAYER: That's right.
INSKEEP: ...Is being learned about the scene of the suspected crime?
FRAYER: So this happened near Royal Air Force base Fairford in the Cotswolds, a picturesque, wealthy farming area - incidentally, where JD Vance has vacationed. The base has hosted U.S. troops for decades. During the Iran war, it's attracted lots of plane spotters eager to catch a glimpse of these giant American B-1 bombers. It's also attracted anti-war protesters.
So early Sunday, this all began. A farmer spotted suspicious vehicles driven by masked men, she said. She called police. They intercepted them, arrested five suspects, then used a bomb-disposal robot to probe the vehicles. Police have not announced that any explosives were found, though. The law says terror suspects can be held 14 days without charge. For lesser offenses, it's 24 hours. And it's during that time frame that these suspects were released.
INSKEEP: Oh. Very interesting detail there at the end. Lauren, thanks so much.
FRAYER: You're welcome.
INSKEEP: That's NPR's Lauren Frayer in London. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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