英国对一起涉嫌针对美军使用的空军基地的炸弹阴谋的调查周二陷入混乱，警方表示在附近扣押的车辆中未发现爆炸物，但查获了“一定数量的汽油”。
A UK probe into a suspected bomb plot at an airbase used by the US was mired in confusion Tuesday, as police said no explosives but a “quantity of petrol” was found in vehicles seized nearby.
周日，警方接到报警前往英格兰西南部的皇家空军费尔福德基地，此前一名居民目睹多辆货车“表现可疑”，引发附近村庄疏散并宣布进入“重大事件”状态。
Police were called to the Royal Air Force Fairford base in southwest England on Sunday after a resident saw several vans “acting suspiciously”, triggering an evacuation of the nearby village and the declaration of a “major incident”.
国家反恐警务负责人劳伦斯·泰勒表示：“这些车辆已接受广泛检查……我们可以确认未发现简易爆炸装置。然而，查获了一定数量的汽油。”
“Those vehicles have been subject to extensive examination … and we can confirm that no improvised explosive devices were found. However, a quantity of petrol was recovered,” National Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor said.
事件引发巨大质疑，五名伦敦籍英国男子周一获保释，他们因涉嫌爆炸物和恐怖罪行于周日凌晨被捕，华盛顿批评了他们的获释决定。
There have been huge questions around the incident after five London-based Britons were released on bail on Monday after being arrested early on Sunday on explosives and terror offences, with Washington criticising their release.
泰勒补充道：“我理解这一进展让许多人感到意外，但我想重申这是一个调查决定。”此前美国总统特朗普表示对该决定“感到惊讶”。
“I understand why this development will have come as a surprise to many, but I’d like to reiterate that it was an investigative decision,” Taylor added, after US President Donald Trump said he was “surprised” by the decision.
特朗普对记者说：“我不会那样做。”他的国务卿鲁比奥指称有“外国行为体”牵涉其中。
“I wouldn’t have done that,” Trump told reporters, as his Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged a “foreign actor” was involved.
关于费尔福德空军基地附近的事件，各种猜测不断，该基地被美军用于发动对伊朗的打击。
Speculation was rife about the incident near the Fairford airbase, which is used by the US military to launch strikes on Iran.
伊朗驻伦敦大使馆表示，“坚决拒绝并强烈谴责”有关德黑兰牵涉其中的猜测。
Iran’s embassy in London has said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” speculation that Tehran was involved.
最新进展使得部分理论获得可信度，即这些男子可能是燃油窃贼——因为英国能源价格上涨。
The latest update lends credibility to some theories that the men could be fuel thieves – as energy prices rise in the UK.
但这场恐慌迫使附近村庄的85户家庭撤离，许多居民不得不在外住宿至少一晚。警方表示已搜查伦敦的住所，并希望周三结束调查行动。
But the scare forced 85 homes in a nearby village to be evacuated, with many residents having to stay elsewhere for at least one night. Police said they had searched homes in London and were hoping to stand down investigative operations on Wednesday.
邻村肯普斯福德的居民帕特里夏（60岁）表示，“非常尴尬，全世界的人都以为这是恐怖袭击，但最终不是——这是一场虚惊一场。”
A resident in the neighbouring village of Kempsford, Patricia, 60, said it was “very embarrassing that people around the world thought it was a terrorist attack but in the end no – it’s a lot of noise for nothing”.
这起安全恐慌事件因住在空军基地附近韦尔福德村的一名农民报警而公之于众，他看见三辆货车堵住道路，一群蒙面男子逃离现场。
The security scare became public after a farmer living in the village of Whelford near the airbase rang police after seeing the three vans blocking a road and a group of masked men fleeing the scene.
全副武装的警官以涉嫌爆炸物罪名逮捕了这五名男子——他们都是20多岁的伦敦居民，随后又以反恐法下的“涉嫌准备恐怖行为”罪名对他们进行逮捕。
Armed officers arrested the five men – all London residents in their mid-20s – on suspicion of explosives offences and, later, “suspicion of preparing a terrorist act” under anti-terror laws.
警方表示，这些男子“仍在接受调查，必须遵守严格条件，以便我们继续工作”。据报道，该基地的安保级别最近已提高。
Police said the men “remain under investigation and must adhere to strict conditions while we continue our work”. Security at the base had reportedly been heightened recently.
英国在3月授权华盛顿使用费尔福德基地进行“针对伊朗的特定防御行动”，以在源头摧毁伊朗导弹。
Britain gave Washington permission in March to use Fairford for “specific defensive operations into Iran” to destroy Iranian missiles at source.
此后，美国轰炸机和其他飞机被看到从该基地起降——这是英国本土唯一用于此目的的基地。
US bombers and other planes have since been seen taking off and landing from the base – the only one on Britain’s mainland used for this purpose.
货车的航拍画面显示，车内似乎装有桶装物品，至少一辆车标有假冒的标志和电话号码，给人一种它属于一家合法柴油配送公司的虚假印象。
Aerial footage of the vans showed they appeared to contain barrels, and at least one was marked with a fake logo and phone number giving the false impression that it was owned by a legitimate diesel delivery firm.
这家合法公司在其网站声明中表示，“该车辆及涉案人员均与Fuel2U公司毫无关联”，并补充说正在配合警方调查。
The legitimate firm said in a statement on its website that “neither the vehicle nor any of the individuals involved has any connection whatsoever with Fuel2U”, adding it was cooperating with the police.
“他们半夜出现在这里有点奇怪，”一名当地居民在附近的肯普斯福德村做园艺工作时说道。
“It’s a bit odd they were here in the middle of the night,” one local said as she did some gardening in the nearby village of Kempsford.
“如果他们是真正的恐怖分子，就不会被释放了，”她补充道，并要求不透露姓名。
“If they were true terrorists they wouldn’t have released them,” she added, asking not to give her name.
去年，一处英国军营遭遇“安保漏洞”，闯入者割破围栏从油罐车偷窃燃油。法新社报道
A British military camp was the victim of a “security breach” last year after intruders cut through a fence to steal fuel from a tanker. By Agence France-Presse