US President Donald Trump has questioned Britain’s decision to release on bail five suspects arrested over an alleged plot targeting a US airbase. The five British nationals were detained near RAF Fairford and later released on police bail while the counter-terrorism investigation continues.

Trump said he was surprised by the decision and that he would not have released them. British police have said the material found in the suspects’ vans was not viable explosive material, and the men remain under stringent bail conditions.

The investigation is ongoing, and officers have stressed that releasing suspects on bail does not mean the case is closed. The arrests had raised alarm on both sides of the Atlantic given the target was a base used by the US Air Force. Trump’s remarks add a diplomatic edge to a sensitive security case, with British officials declining to be drawn into a public exchange. Counter-terrorism police say they are following several lines of inquiry.