Five British Men Arrested Near RAF Fairford Released on Bail as UK Investigates Possible Foreign State Links
Five British nationals in their 20s from the London area were arrested early Sunday near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, on suspicion of explosives offenses and preparation of a terrorist act, after three white vans were spotted near the base. All five were released on bail Monday under what counter-terrorism police described as stringent conditions, with the investigation continuing. UK authorities said they were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including possible links to Iran, Russia, or non-state militant groups.
RAF Fairford, located roughly 100 miles west of London, is a UK-owned base from which American B-1 and B-52 bombers have flown missions during the ongoing conflict with Iran. Approximately 85 households in the nearby village of Whelford were evacuated Sunday after armed officers from Gloucestershire Police arrested the five men; bomb disposal experts later used a robot to examine the three white vans. By Monday evening, residents were told they could return home after the Home Secretary confirmed the scene was safe.
The arrests were triggered not by a planned intelligence operation but by a late-night call from a local farmer, who told authorities she encountered three vans parked in an unusual formation roughly 100 meters from the base perimeter, and saw a large group of men, many with their faces covered, who scattered when they saw her vehicle. Counter-terrorism police stated they had received a separate call about suspicious vehicles travelling toward the base approximately one hour before the farmer's call, made at 1:40 a.m. Multiple UK media outlets, including the BBC, the Guardian, and the Telegraph, reported — citing sources — that the operation was not intelligence-led.
Those reports appeared to conflict with statements from US President Donald Trump, who told reporters in Chicago that the men had been "under view for a long time" and that cooperation between the US and UK was key to the arrests. UK Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said the farmer had only "a partial picture" of the situation and declined to elaborate on operational security grounds. UK authorities did not publicly confirm or deny Trump's account of prior surveillance.