Police keeping ‘open mind’ over suspected airbase plot as five bailed

Five suspects from London arrested over a potential terror plot near an RAF base used by the US are being released on bail, police say.

Police said they are British nationals aged in their 20s and from London.

They are a 24-year-old from Camden, north London; three men aged 23, 24 and 25 from Westminster, and one aged 24 from Willesden, north-west London.

In an update on Monday afternoon, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing at the Metropolitan Police, said the five men were being released on police bail.

"I can confirm that following extensive interviews and enquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon," Mr Taylor told reporters outside New Scotland Yard.

"To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over.

"They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others.

"They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry."

A farmer in Whelford dialled 999 after she saw three vans and a group of masked men near RAF Fairford, and dozens of homes had to be evacuated as bomb disposal teams were called in to deal with the major incident.

The base is used by US planes to carry out bombing missions against Iran.

A police checkpoint near RAF Fairford after major incident was declared on Sunday

PA Wire

He hinted that Britain’s security services had been aware of a potential plot to target the base.

But security experts say the UK and US authorities may not have been aware of the specific terror attack which was allegedly thwarted.

On Monday, Counter-Terrorism Policing (CTP) said that multiple new lines of inquiry have emerged after investigators were working at the scene overnight.

A B1 Lancer US bomber sits on the tarmac at RAF Fairford

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CTP Senior National Coordinator, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said: “This is a hugely complex and large-scale operation, involving local and national policing, the MoD, and local agencies, who are working together to progress the investigation and support for the community.

“I know this has been incredibly disruptive for local people, but I’d like to reassure them that our activity is in the interest of national security, but most importantly in the interest of their own safety.

“I’d also like to thank the emergency services for their response, including the armed officers who first attended the scene, not knowing what they may face.

“I am very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident, and the geopolitical questions that are being raised. However, I ask that at this time, Counter Terrorism Policing are given the space to work carefully and clearly.”

The five suspects are being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (Pace) and officers have been granted an initial extension under later today to hold them in custody.

A police cordon remains in place in Whelford and will be reviewed later today, CTP said.

UK armed police officers at one of the gates of RAF Fairford after major incident was declared on Sunday

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The farmer, who was driving near the base shortly before 1am on Sunday, dialled 999 after spotting the vehicles “blocking the road” before seeing a “large group of hooded and ‘balaclava’d’ men”.

The Whelford resident said “they would have seen the bright headlights” and “they probably thought we were the police (and) panicked”.

She added: “It would appear that by doing so I just derailed whatever they were planning.”

Officers arrived on the scene about 15 minutes after she raised the alarm, she said.

Residents had at the time understood the base was on lockdown because of a “terror threat”, the woman added.

Gloucestershire Constabulary said it received reports of the suspicious vehicles travelling to the base at about 12.45am on Sunday.

An armoured vehicle patrols the interior at RAF Fairford

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Officers arrested the men under the Explosives Act and they were later further arrested under suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.

Suspects detained under the Terrorism Act 2000 can be held for up to 14 days without charge, compared to the 24-hour limit for standard arrests without an extension application.

Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot spending hours inspecting three white vans, two of which had open rear doors. Large black barrels appeared to be scattered around.

Residents who were evacuated from around 85 households near the base are now able to return home on Monday evening, Gloucestershire Police said.

A cordon remains in place around the three vehicles on the site.

US soldiers at the gates of RAF Fairford, after major incident was declared on Sunday

PA

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident was “deeply concerning” and the Government would “always take every step necessary” to protect people.

Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Wes Streeting said that “the police and the security services have done everything that they could and should have been doing rapidly to help contain this situation”.

He said: “We’re acutely aware that the events at RAF Fairford have caused considerable disruption to the local community and also wider public concern. What we can say at this stage is that the response of our policing, counter-terrorism policing and security services has been exemplary. The investigation remains ongoing.”

Mr Streeting added: “Those investigations remain live and I can reassure the public who will be interested and want further information of two things: the first is that those five individuals are under stringent bail conditions and, secondly, that we remain with a live investigation and keeping the situation constantly under review.”

The arrests come amid heightened concerns around the threat from hostile states to the UK, with Russia and Iran among those that have used proxies to commit crimes on their behalf on British soil.

In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states including Iran increased 50% in the six months to December 2025.

That same month, after then prime minister Sir Keir Starmer granted permission for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases, four American bombers landed at RAF Fairford and the US started using British bases for “specific defensive operations”.