‘Masked men’ arrested over suspected bomb plot at UK air base used by US to strike Iran

London: British police have stopped a suspected terror attack at a Royal Air Force base used by American aircraft to strike Iran, triggering an investigation into whether the Iranian government was behind the plot.

Police arrested five men on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences at the Fairford air base, in south-west England, during a pre-dawn emergency after residents saw men in black balaclavas running towards the secure area. Authorities were called in to check three white vans for explosives.

Local residents shared this image online of the arrests of the five men. A bomb disposal robot was used to check the suspects’ vans, which were painted to look like commercial vehicles carrying fuel and were driven to the airfield at night.

Counter Terrorism Policing, a national UK agency, revealed that all five men were British nationals from London and were aged from 23 to 25.

CTP deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans said investigators were working to find out the full activity of the suspects and their motivation.

“I am very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident, and the geopolitical questions that are being raised,” she said.

“However, I ask that at this time, CTP are given the space to work carefully and clearly.”

US President Donald Trump hailed the work by British authorities and said the suspects had been under surveillance for a “long time” and were attempting to do “big damage” to the base.

At least 85 households were evacuated, with residents taken to a community centre in the nearby town of Cirencester because of concerns about a potential explosion.

The suspected plot marks a major escalation in security threats to British bases due to the war in the Middle East, as American forces rely on Fairford to refuel and maintain the B-1 bombers that have struck Iran since the war began on February 28.

A US Air Force B-1 bomber at RAF Fairford on Sunday.Getty ImagesThe UK’s counterterrorism police have taken over the case and are investigating whether the Iranian government was behind the plot.

The Iranian ambassador to the UK, Seyed Ali Mousavi, told The Times in March that the American use of the British base was a “very important matter” for Iran to consider when deciding how to strike back and defend itself.

A local councillor, Tristan Wilkinson, told Reuters there had been a specific threat against the base about six weeks ago from Iran, leading to increased surveillance in the area.

One local farmer told London’s Telegraph that she saw a group of men and three vans on a road near the base at about 1.30am on Sunday (10.30am Sunday AEST) and drove away quickly to alert police.

“I saw a group of Middle Eastern-looking young guys running off through the trees,” she told The Telegraph.

“Some of them had masks or balaclavas on, and they all scattered ahead of us as we drove back past.

“Some of them ran into the fields, and some of them turned to run towards the air base. We realised this was something pretty serious. We knew the air base had a credible threat of a terrorist attack before last night. So as soon as I saw them I was worried.

“I mean, you don’t see masked men running around at half one in the morning in the countryside near a secure air base and not have concerns.”

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, speaking to the BBC, thanked the member of the public for alerting authorities but added that she had only a “partial picture” of the events. He would not comment on the farmer’s statement that she initially called the Ministry of Defence service to raise the alert but got no answer, and then called 999 – the emergency line equivalent to 000 in Australia.

Streeting also avoided attributing the attack to Iran or any other source.

“That’s not a link that I wish to draw this morning,” he told BBC TV on Monday morning (London time).

“I think it’s premature to speculate on these individuals and their motives, and there’s a live investigation ongoing.”

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting avoided attributing the attack to Iran or any other source.BloombergHe added, however: “We know that Iran and their proxies wish to do us harm, we know that they hate our democracy, and we know that we regularly have to thwart Iranian attempts to threaten either our interests or, indeed, our allies.”

British media outlets, including the BBC, published photographs of the vans and five suspects sitting on the ground near the airfield.

The BBC said the image was said to come from a WhatsApp group of residents. The national broadcaster’s Verify team geolocated the image to a place near where the white vans were parked.

RAF Fairford is located west of Oxford and has been shared by RAF and US Air Force personnel for decades, making it a target for protesters in the past.

Armed police maintain road blocks and security checks around RAF Fairford.Getty ImagesGloucestershire Police said they received a call at around 12.45am on Sunday about three suspicious vehicles travelling towards RAF Fairford.

Police initially arrested five men on suspicion of offences under the UK’s Explosives Act and then additionally on suspicion of “preparation of a terrorist act”.

They said they believed the incident was now contained, but have not yet publicly stated who they assessed was involved.

A 400-metre cordon was set up around the white vans while the British Army’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit examined them.

“Work to establish the full nature of this incident is ongoing and we are in constant communication with our partners locally and nationally,” the police said.

Speaking to reporters in the US, Trump said the suspects had been “under view for a long time and we got them”.

“They were looking to do big damage to our fort,” he said, referring to the air force base. “And working with the British worked out great.”

Streeting thanked Trump for his praise but did not repeat or support the statement that the suspects had been under investigation for a long time.

Police at a road block near the RAF Fairford as the incident unfolded.Alamy Stock PhotoUK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident was “deeply concerning” for residents and many others, but he issued no details and urged people not to speculate.

“The safety and security of the public is our first priority, and I want people to know that we will always take every step necessary to protect our communities and keep our country safe,” he said.

“The investigation remains ongoing, and I would urge people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage raised concerns that the alleged perpetrators might have come into the UK as asylum seekers and could be working for Iran.

“I have been warning both in and out of Parliament for many months about Iranian agents coming into the UK via small boats across the [English] Channel,” he wrote on X. “We deserve to be told the truth about the [alleged] Fairford bomb plotters’ identities.”

Counter Terror Police took over the investigation on Sunday after the Gloucestershire police made the initial arrests.

Gloucestershire Constabulary temporary chief constable Maggie Blyth said the counterterror authorities had “primacy” over the case, but would be supported by local officers.

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