Updated ,first published
London: British police have stopped a suspected terror plot at a Royal Air Force base used by American aircraft to strike Iran, triggering an evacuation due to fears of a potential bombing.
Police arrested five men at the Fairford air base, in south-west England, during a pre-dawn emergency after residents saw men in black balaclavas running toward the secure area. Authorities were called in to check three white vans for explosives.
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 in the night.
US President Donald Trump hailed the work by the 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 the concern about the scale of a potential explosion.
The suspected plot marks a major escalation in the 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.
One local farmer told London’s Telegraph that she saw the men and the vans on a road at about 1.30am on Sunday (10.30am Sunday AEST). She drove away quickly to alert the 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.”
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.
Police made no comment on the possible motive for the suspected plot and did not say whether they believed the alleged perpetrators were protesters, Islamists or agents of a foreign state.
Gloucestershire Police said they received a call at around 12.45am on Sunday about three suspicious vehicles travelling towards RAF Fairford.
“Armed officers responded and subsequently arrested five men in the Whelford area on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act,” the police said.
“The men were taken into custody where they remain. Counterterrorism police are now leading the investigation.”
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 praised the UK authorities for the arrests and said the suspects had been under investigation.
“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.
“We had them under view for a long time and we got them.”
UK 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 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 Fairford bomb plotters’ identities.”
Counter Terror Police took over the investigation on Sunday after the Gloucestershire police made the initial arrests.
As at 8pm on Sunday night – 5am on Monday, AEST – the authorities were yet to decide if the threat should be called a terrorism incident.
Gloucestershire Constabulary temporary chief constable Maggie Blyth said the counter-terror authorities had “primacy” over the case, but would be supported by local officers.
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David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.