British Authorities Probe Potential Iranian Ties To Foiled Terror Plot: Report

British authorities are investigating whether five men who planned to bomb U.S. forces at an airbase had ties to Iran or any Islamist group.

The five men were arrested Sunday near RAF Fairford in the west of England. The Fairford airbase has been used by U.S. forces as a command outpost for strikes against Iranian targets.

Counterterrorism police used a robotic bomb-detection crew after the men were arrested along a road near the airbase. The men traveled in three white vans and images showed large black canisters on the road near the vans. Police held the men on suspicion of planning a terrorist act.

Iran denied any connection to the incident. The embassy in the UK stated that Iran "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base."

"The Circulation of such fabricated speculations, particularly in the aftermath of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK," the embassy added in the document.

Authorities said it was to early in the investigation to say whether Iran and another group was behind the foiled plan to attack the base.

About two months ago, the BBC reported that Iran specifically threatened to attack the base, claiming that a U.S. mission had originated from it.

The events began unfolding early Sunday morning when a woman was returning home after a night out at a party.

The woman, described as a farmer, told the BBC that she saw three vans parked in a strange formation, blocking a road leading to the airbase. She also saw several men wearing similar clothing and covering their faces. The van had strange signage.

"I looked at it and thought 'that is not real'," she told the BBC. The woman tried calling a number that was on one of the van's, but it did not work. According to the woman, the men panicked and hid when they saw her.

The woman called the police and also alerted the neighborhood through a Whatsapp message.

"Literally within five minutes it all kicked off," she told the BBC. "There were armed police, a helicopter."

Five men were arrested on suspicion of a terrorist plot to attack the airbase. They are all London residents aged between 23 and 25. They have not been identified.

Vicki Evans, a senior counter-terrorism officer called the operation "hugely complex and large-scale." A bomb disposal robot could be seen near vans located in woods near the base. CNN reported that one of its teams heard what sounded like two controlled detonations. Residents of 85 homes near the base were evacuated.