00:11It's really hard, it's such a flash moment of seeing them, but there were definitely more than five, we think
00:17maybe between eight and ten of them were there at that point, and a lot of them had their faces
00:23covered, they were all wearing like, it looked like similar, almost you'd have thought perhaps it was.
00:56It's when you have done each shot of life.
01:07On the arrests in the UK, there's five suspects that were arrested, it was just released on bail. What's your
01:13reaction to that, and is this connected to Iran?
01:16Might be, but I will tell you, I would have said, don't let them have bail, cashless bail. Is it
01:25cashless bail, I guess? That was one of the problems that we had, which started the whole mess of crime,
01:30and we're ending cashless bail.
01:33But over there, I'm surprised if they released them, I wouldn't have done that. Look, they've been very good, they've
01:38worked with us very closely. We know everything about them. We would not have released them.
01:44So you said might be, Iran might be, can you elaborate on that?
01:47Well, I don't know. I'd rather not. I mean, I know the answer, I can be very specific, but I'd
01:52rather not say it. But I would not have released them.
01:57I can confirm that following extensive interviews and inquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police
02:06bail this afternoon.
02:07To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on
02:15their movement and contact with others.
02:16They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry.
02:23I also know there is significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident.
02:30At Counterterrorism Policing, we are working within this context every single day.
02:35And at this stage, we are keeping an open mind in this investigation.
02:39We have, as you would expect, ensured that our protective security advice and posture remain commensurate to the threat.
02:47But be assured we are considering this from every possible angle, including that this may be actively committed by proxies
02:57or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.
03:03It's too early to make decisions around attribution.
03:06We are keeping all lines of inquiry open, including the possibility that these individuals may have been acting either knowingly
03:15or unknowingly on behalf of proxies or state-backed actors.
03:18But at this stage, it is too soon to make determinations.
03:22While we understand the significant level of public concern, it's important to bear in mind we have a live police
03:29investigation underway.
03:30We don't want to compromise the integrity of that investigation.
03:33This afternoon, the Prime Minister chaired a meeting of COBRA here in Liverpool, attended by senior government ministers, including myself,
03:40the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary.
03:43We're acutely aware that the events at RAF Fairford have caused considerable disruptions to the local community and also wider
03:51public concern.
