Five men released on bail after suspected RAF Fairford terror plot

Five British men arrested after three suspicious vans were found near RAF Fairford have been released on police bail, while counter-terrorism officers continue to investigate what happened, the Press Association reports.

The men, all aged in their 20s and from London, were arrested in the early hours of Sunday in Whelford, Gloucestershire. They were initially held on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and were later arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

The arrests followed reports of three vans travelling towards RAF Fairford, a military base used by the United States Air Force. The base hosts US heavy bombers and has been the subject of heightened security measures amid wider tensions between the US, the UK and Iran.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, said outside Scotland Yard on Monday that the five men were being released after “extensive interviews and inquiries”.

“To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over,” he said. “They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry.”

Police are understood to be examining whether the incident could be connected to Iran. Mr Taylor said investigators were keeping an open mind about the possible motivation and were considering whether proxies or individuals might have been acting knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state.

He said: “At this stage, we are keeping an open mind in this investigation.” He added that officers were considering “every possible angle”, including the possibility of activity by proxies or individuals working on behalf of a foreign state.

Iran’s London embassy has rejected suggestions of involvement, saying it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations” about an Iranian connection.

The material found during the operation was understood not to be viable explosives, although police have stressed that inquiries are continuing. Bomb disposal specialists from the Army examined the vehicles as a large cordon was maintained around the scene.

The operation began after a local farmer reported seeing three vans blocking a road near Whelford and a group of masked men. She initially tried to contact Ministry of Defence police but said the call went unanswered before she dialled 999 at about 1.36am.

The woman told reporters that she had seen between eight and 10 people wearing face coverings and “slim-fitting clothes”, although five men were arrested. She said the group appeared to panic after the vehicle in which she was travelling approached with its headlights on.

She said she had received no follow-up from authorities after making the report and called for the sequence of events to be examined. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said she had only “a partial picture” of the incident.

Police had earlier received a report of three suspicious vehicles travelling towards RAF Fairford at about 12.45am, according to the Press Association. It remains unclear what happened between that report and the farmer’s later emergency call.

The response led to the evacuation of dozens of homes near the base. Earlier reports said about 85 households were unable to return home overnight, while emergency services established a 400-metre cordon. The Army’s explosive ordnance disposal unit used a bomb disposal robot to inspect the three white vans.

Counter Terrorism Policing said the operation had involved local and national police, the Ministry of Defence and local agencies. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said the investigation was “hugely complex and large-scale” and asked for space for officers to establish the facts.

The police operation was not intelligence-led, the Press Association understands, meaning investigators had not known about a potential plot in advance. Mr Taylor said rapid mobilisation was necessary because officers could not take risks while assessing the threat, but added that authorities sought to return affected communities to normality as quickly as possible once the threat was better understood.

The incident prompted comments from US President Donald Trump, who said the suspects had been looking to “do big damage” to what he called the US “fort”. He praised the British response and said the suspects had been under observation for a long time, although the Press Association reported that this differed from the understanding that the police operation was not intelligence-led.

The UK Government has declined to comment in detail while the investigation continues. Mr Streeting said it would be too early to attribute the men’s motivation, while also saying the UK should not be “cowed by sabre-rattling from Iran” or allow threats to dictate its foreign policy.

A US Air Force spokesperson said personnel at RAF Fairford remained vigilant but would not discuss specific force-protection measures for operational-security reasons. The 501st Combat Support Wing and UK-based units would take appropriate action to protect US service members, civilians, contractors and their families, the spokesperson said.

The incident comes against a backdrop of heightened concern about hostile-state activity in the UK. The Press Association reported that officials said in March that the number of national-security cases involving activity by hostile states, including Iran, had risen by 50% in the six months to December 2025.

It also follows the arrival of four US bombers at RAF Fairford after permission was granted for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases. RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk confirmed that it was operating at Charlie alert, the second-highest threat level used by the US Department of Defence, amid reports that Fairford had been raised to Delta, the highest level.

Those reports have not established that Iran was involved in the Fairford incident. Police say the investigation remains open, the five men remain under investigation on bail, and officers are continuing to examine the circumstances and possible motivation.