Donald Trump said he was surprised that five men found near an RAF base used by US forces have been released on bail.
Counter Terror Police confirmed that the men – all British nationals from London between the ages of 23 and 25 – had been released but that inquiries remain ongoing.
No ‘viable explosives’ were found in the vans searched at the scene, but police are keeping an ‘open mind’ as to who may be behind the suspected planned attack.
The US President said he was ‘surprised’ by their release over the suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford, which is used by the US air force.
Speaking in the White House, he told reporters: ‘I wouldn’t have done that. Look, they’ve been very good. They worked with us very closely. We know everything about them. We would not have released them.’
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Shortly after the arrests, Trump spoke out about RAF Fairford (mistakenly calling it a ‘Fort’), adding: ‘The arrest in the UK was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation.
‘They were looking to do big damage.We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.’
Why were the men released?
The head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, said on Monday afternoon the men were being released after ‘extensive interviews and inquiries’ and that they remained under investigation.
‘They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others,’ he said.
He later said the incident was being considered from all angles, including whether offences had been committed ‘by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.’
After fears more suspects fled into the woods, Counter Terror Police told Metro: ‘This remains a live investigation, however at this time, we believe all those at the scene at the time of the vehicle stop were arrested. ‘
Residents evacuated from 85 properties in Whelford were finally allowed toreturn home on Monday evening as the police cordon was reduced.
The alarm was originally sounded when a farmer, who was driving home from a night out, reported seeing numerous ‘hooded and masked’ men acting ‘suspiciously’ near three vans and called 999, prompting a major police response.
It comes after Iran ‘categorically’ rejected any suggestion it was involved in the suspected bomb plot.
The nation’s embassy in London hit out at ‘unfounded and malicious’ speculation that it had been involved in the incident at the Gloucestershire air base on Sunday.
‘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’, it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Andy Burnham said he would be chairing a Cobra meeting on the incident this afternoon to establish the ‘full picture’.
The Prime Minister, who is currently at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, told LBC: ‘I want to thank the police, the Gloucestershire Police, the security services, the emergency services, the public who alerted us, so thank you to everybody for the way that they’ve worked.’
Burnham previously said the government will ‘always take every step necessary’ to protect the country.
He posted on X: ‘I know today’s incident near RAF Fairford will be deeply concerning for local residents and for many people following developments across the country. My thanks go to Gloucestershire Police, Counter Terrorism Policing, our Armed Forces and all those working to keep the public safe.’
The US Embassy also urged Americans to ‘exercise caution and be mindful of personal security’ following the incident.
The security alert said: ‘Local authorities are evacuating certain residents in the area out of an abundance of caution.
‘We remind US citizens that UK authorities rate the threat of terrorism in the UK as severe.
‘US-associated facilities, gatherings, and organisations may be at heightened risk.’
Farmer raises the alarm on ‘hooded and masked men’
A farmer driving home from a party said she grew suspicious after her driveway was blocked by three white vans, forcing her to turn back.
The woman, who has not been named, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘On driving a short distance from the vans, I saw a large group of hooded and masked men.
‘When they saw me, they ran ahead of me, some into the field and some towards the neighbouring village of Kempsford.’
She knew that the RAF base was ‘operating at a high security’ and staff had been evacuated, so she first rang the MoD police before phoning 999.
The farmer also alerted other villagers through WhatsApp to make sure doors were bolted.
She questioned why other roads around the base perimeter didn’t appear to be monitored, along with patrols in the village.
‘Clearly, this was not happening, and I believe that my 999 call foiled whatever plans they had,’ she said.
She claimed that ‘someone dropped the ball on this,’ and alleged that the village wasn’t evacuated until 6am despite her raising the alarm at 1.36am.
One of the vans was shown branded with the name Fuel2You along with an incorrectly formatted mobile number.
The company appears not to exist online, although a similar fuel delivery firm named Fuel2U with green logo-ed vans operates in London.
The owner of Fuel2U, which delivers petrol, told Metro his company had been inundated with calls after the ‘unfortunate coincidence’.
He said: ‘I would just appreciate the calls to stop. Quite frankly, we’re a legitimate business. We’re fairly newly started. We don’t need the negativity because it’s entirely unrelated.
‘I’ve seen the photos of the van online. It looks like a toddler’s done the signwriting, quite frankly, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with us.’
A bomb disposal robot was searching three vans with their rear doors open near the military base, which is being used by US bombers conducting operations in Iran.
‘It’s not something we’ve encountered in Gloucestershire before in recent times, and so it is worrying’, he said.
‘I mean, clearly it’s destabilising. Although that’s the whole point of terrorism, isn’t it? Is to destabilise. And clearly, we don’t know yet exactly what the circumstances are.’
‘Heightened tensions’ due to US presence at RAF Fairford
A resident who was evacuated from Whelford said there have been ‘heightened tensions’ in the area because RAF Fairford is used by the US Air Force.
He said there were messages on a village chat about vans blocking one of the lanes in the village.
‘Then I went to bed,’ he said. ‘Then we were woken up about 6am with a couple of police at the door.’
Another resident who was not evacuated compared the scenes to a ‘Hollywood movie’ on what should have been a ‘sleepy Sunday’.
They said: ‘I know a few people who have been [evacuated] and they said they were basically given two minutes to get essential items and get out. It was all very urgent.’
Officials confirmed in March that the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states, including Iran, had increased by 50% in the six months to December 2025.
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