How RAF Fairford 'bomb plot' narrative fell apart as US and UK made competing claims

A major terrorist plot against an American base in Britain was reported to have been narrowly averted on Monday, with five men arrested near RAF Fairford. Barrels were found in three vans which may have contained explosives. Prime Minister Andy Burnham held an emergency meeting and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declared the incident proved his theory about the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp being a proscribed organization. The US and UK quickly made competing claims about the incident.

US President Donald Trump stated that the US and UK worked closely together to investigate the men, who were all British nationals in their twenties and were released on police bail. Trump said they had been under investigation "for a long time" and claimed they were looking to cause significant damage to the US base. The Iranian embassy in London condemned the unfounded speculation linking their country to the incident, calling it an attempt to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK.