Five men have been arrested near RAF Fairford, a British air base in Gloucestershire, western England, on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. British counter-terrorism police confirmed on Sunday that officers received a call at around 12:45 a.m. reporting three suspicious white vans that appeared to be travelling toward the base. Armed police arrested the five men shortly after. A 400-metre cordon was established around the vehicles, around 85 households in the nearby village of Whelford were evacuated, and bomb disposal experts — including a robot — were deployed to examine the vans. Large black objects, including drums, were seen scattered near the vehicles.
The arrest came about largely through a chance encounter. A local resident — described as a farmer — was driving home from a party in the early hours when she spotted the three vans parked on a country road alongside a large group of men wearing hoods and balaclavas. Attempts to call the airbase directly went unanswered, so she dialled 999. Police arrived within 15 minutes. "It would appear that by doing so I just derailed whatever they were planning," she told reporters. "A plucky amateur shouldn't be spotting an unusual bit of activity at 1am when the airbase is on high alert." Residents of Whelford, woken by police banging on their doors at 6 a.m., were directed to a nearby leisure centre; some arrived still in their pyjamas.
RAF Fairford has a particularly long, reinforced runway capable of supporting heavy bombers such as the B-1 and B-52, and has been used by the United States Air Force since March under an agreement with the British government to conduct strikes against Iranian missile sites. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated in July that any base used to launch attacks would be considered a legitimate target. Investigators are examining a possible Iranian connection as the most likely motive, though Russian sabotage and Islamist extremism are also being explored. British security officials have previously warned that Iran-linked proxies have been behind a series of arson and sabotage attempts on British soil, and that Tehran could expand its targets if Middle East hostilities continue.
US President Donald Trump said those arrested had been under surveillance for some time. "They were looking to do big damage to our fort. And working with the British worked out great," he told reporters in Chicago. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham thanked police, the armed forces, and evacuated residents, urging the public "not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts." The US embassy in London advised American citizens to remain cautious and aware of their personal security.
The five men remain in custody. Under the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, suspects can be held for up to 14 days without charge. Gloucestershire police said the situation appeared to be "contained," but the cordon around Whelford remained in place on Sunday evening, with residents uncertain when they would be allowed to return home. The incident comes against a backdrop of sharply heightened security around Fairford in recent weeks, with heavy vehicles blocking base gates and concrete barriers erected along perimeter roads — measures that, in retrospect, local residents say now make sense.