One suspect in RAF Fairford security scare called police before arrests, reports say
One of five men arrested near RAF Fairford called 999 himself before armed police moved in, according to reports. The detail adds a strange twist
One of five men arrested near RAF Fairford called 999 himself before armed police moved in, according to reports. The detail adds a strange twist to a security scare that shut down a quiet stretch of Gloucestershire countryside and drew in counter-terror investigators.
The call was made at 00:45 BST on Sunday, nearly an hour before a local farmer also phoned police after spotting men in balaclavas near the base. The men were later arrested on suspicion of explosives offences, then on terrorism offences, after three vans were seen close to the US-operated air base.
Arrests after suspicious vans
Police have said searches of the vans turned up a quantity of petrol, but no explosive devices. The five suspects were released on bail on Monday in what officers described as an “investigative decision” grounded in “experience and strategy”.
The case has raised questions because one of the suspects, a man in his 20s from London, is understood to have phoned police first. The Guardian reported that the call helped trigger the armed response that led to the arrests. Why he called remains part of the wider inquiry.
Farmers, balaclavas and a tense night
Police were first alerted to “three suspicious vehicles” in Whelford, a village directly east of the base, by the farmer who had been driving home from a party. She said it was “pure luck” that she saw the scene, saying she arrived to find the road blocked and a “large group of hooded and masked men”.
“I believe that my 999 call foiled whatever plans they had,” she said. The comment captures the uncertainty still hanging over the case. So far, investigators have confirmed petrol in one barrel and no explosives in the vans, but they have not explained the suspects’ movements before the arrests.
Wider security questions
RAF Fairford is used by the US military and has taken on added sensitivity because of its role in operations linked to Iran. The investigation has prompted speculation about an Iran-backed plot, and senior US politicians, including President Donald Trump, have expressed surprise that the suspects were released on bail.
For now, police are treating the case as an active counter-terrorism inquiry. The next stage will hinge on what investigators make of the vans, the petrol, and the unusual fact that one suspect rang police before anyone else did.
