President Donald Trump voiced his displeasure with London after five terrorist suspects were released on bail on Monday.
Trump had lavished praise on London just the day before over their swift handling of the matter, which saw five men in three vans arrested just outside a British air base, RAF Fairfield, which serves as a key base for U.S. heavy bombers that were used in the war with Iran. After the suspects were abruptly released on bail, Trump changed his tune.
“I would have said, ‘Don’t let them have bail,’” Trump said, then took a detour to bash the practice of cashless bail, wondering aloud if that were part of the problem.
“I’m surprised that they released them,” he said. “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,” Trump added about the terrorist suspects.
Head of U.K. counterterrorism policing Laurence Taylor announced the release of the five men on bail at a Monday press conference, but he still spoke of the event as a foiled attack and left open the possibility that they could have been proxies for a foreign government, alluding to Iran.
Further adding to the confusion was British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who still addressed the incident as a foiled terrorist attack. After saying the scene was “now safe,” she signaled that the bust was a major victory in the struggle against terrorism.
“To all those who mean us harm and plot violence on our soil, let this be a reminder you will never defeat us,” she said.
When asked about the situation, an Air Force spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that it was “aware of current reporting,” but couldn’t discuss specifics for operational security reasons.
“U.S. Air Forces in Europe remains vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, civilians, contractors, and their families,” the spokesperson said. “We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families.”
The five men were caught by police after a local farmer, who couldn’t get through to two law enforcement lines, called the emergency hotline. She told media afterward that she was certain there were more than just five people involved and that authorities hadn’t followed up with her.
Shortly after the arrests were made, Trump gushed with praise for British police, saying they did “an amazing job.”
FIVE MEN ARRESTED OVER SUSPECTED RAF FAIRFORD BOMB PLOT TO BE RELEASED ON BAIL: UK POLICE
“We had them under investigation,” he said. “They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great.
“We had them under view for a long time, and we got them,” Trump said.