A 999 phone call about three odd-looking vans travelling to RAF Fairford ended today with five men arrested on suspicion of a bomb plot.
Three ‘suspicious vehicles’ were seen travelling towards the base about four miles south of Fairford, Gloucestershire, at 12.45am today.
Just 45 minutes later, five men were arrested. Within hours, dozens of homes were evacuated.
Here’s everything we know about the RAF Fairford foiled attack so far.
What happened?
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A local farmer spotted three vans blocking a country road while driving home from a party, she told The Telegraph.
As the farmer backed out, she saw masked men in balaclavas run into the trees towards RAF Fairford.
‘Thinking about it now, and what could have happened if they had tried to stop me from driving away, I am quite lucky,’ she said.
Five men were arrested near Whelford, a rural village around two miles outside the base, later that morning.
An image has been shared on social media purporting to show the men being arrested, showing five tied-up, shirtless men sitting on the ground.
Fact-checkers say it was taken near a runway at RAF Fairford.
Bomb disposal crews and a remote-controlled robot examined the vehicles.
Footage showed the rear doors of two of the vans were open with black items scattered around.
One of the vans sported a logo of a fuel delivery company, which was not registered on Companies House, a business directory. A phone number printed on it is one digit short and does not ring when called.
Police began evacuating 85 homes to a leisure centre at 7am.
One resident, Jeff, told the BBC that he heard ‘shouting outside his front door’ and ‘people being held by police’ when he was asked to leave.
‘You get used to funny things going on sometimes around the base,’ he added.
A major incident – a term for when authorities expect an event could have serious consequences – was declared at 8am.
A 400m cordon remains in place, ‘but we’d like to reassure people that we believe this incident is contained’, the force said.
What have the suspects been arrested for?
On suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act, a 19th-century law concerning explosives like gunpowder or nitroglycerine.
They were further arrested on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism.
A person guilty of the offence could face life behind bars, according to section five of the Terrorism Act.
The men, who remain in custody, have not been named as they have not been charged.
Vicki Evans, the deputy assistant commissioner of the counterterrorism police, said the force is in the ‘early stages’ of its investigation.
Has anyone claimed responsibility for the plot?
The United States Air Force uses RAF Fairford to deploy hulking military planes, including B-52 and B-1 bombers, bound for Iran.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether Iran could have played a role in the suspected bomb plot, one of several motives.
US President Donald Trump told reporters that those arrested were ‘looking to do big damage’.
‘We had them under view for a long time, and we got them,’ he said.
Former UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer gave the US the green light to use the base for its war against Iran in March.
Iran’s military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responded with a warning to the UK in July.
‘Any base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory is a legitimate target for our forces,’ it said in a statement carried by Iran’s official news agency.
‘This makes London responsible for the developments resulting from this step.’
Tehran-owned papers covering the RAF Fairford incident said the base has been used for ‘illegal and aggressive operations against Iran in recent months’.
Who is based at RAF Fairford?
Fairford has been an American base of operations for decades, opening in preparation for D-Day in 1944.
It’s a crucial spot for the American military, given it’s 9,990 foot- long runway is one of the few in Europe that can support bombers.
Antiwar protests were held outside the site during the Iraq War in 2003, when it was used for US operations.
The base is home to the 501st Combat Support Wing Headquarters, which acts as the US military’s ‘gateway’ into Europe, the unit’s website said.
The 420th Air Base Squadron, a World War Two-era unit that helps ‘sustain deployed forces’, are also stationed at Fairford.
The US Embassy issued an alert this evening, asking Americans to ‘exercise caution and be mindful of personal security’.
Airspace will be restricted until October 5, banning the flying of balloons, kites and drones, according to the alert, called a NOTAM.
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