Five men remain in custody on Sunday after Gloucestershire police stopped three suspicious vehicles travelling toward RAF Fairford in the early hours, later arresting the occupants on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. Counter Terrorism Policing has taken the lead on the investigation, and the Army’s explosive ordnance disposal unit is examining the vans within a 400-metre cordon while dozens of nearby homes stay evacuated.
How the incident unfolded
Local officers said they received a report at 00:45 BST about three vehicles heading for the base, which the United States Air Force uses as a forward operating location for long-range bombers that have struck targets in Iran during the current war. Armed units intercepted the men in Whelford, a village about two miles southeast of the airfield, Gloucestershire Police Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone told reporters at an afternoon briefing.
Police initially detained the men on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act, then further arrested them on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. Ocone said officers believe the situation is contained but warned that emergency services would remain on scene for some time while specialists work through the vehicles.
Impact on the community
Authorities evacuated 85 households and directed residents to a leisure centre shelter. Aerial images showed two white vans stationary in woodland while a remote-controlled robot approached, though police did not confirm every detail of the disposal team’s methods. Gate 6A at RAF Fairford remained restricted through the morning as a large emergency presence stayed in place.
The base hosts the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing headquarters and the 420th Air Base Squadron. A U.S. Air Force spokesperson told Sky News that no American personnel were involved in the incident and that the service was coordinating with UK partners on base security.
Political and security context
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said the government, which authorized U.S. use of British bases for strikes on Iranian missile sites, was receiving updates. Andy Burnham, who succeeded Starmer as the Labour figure receiving operational briefings in some statements issued Sunday, was also being kept informed according to police readouts carried by UK broadcasters.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters the men had been under scrutiny by American and British authorities and had intended to do “big damage,” though UK police have not publicly identified any motive or affiliation. A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that an Iran-linked motive was considered the most likely line of inquiry, while Russian sabotage and Islamist plots were also being examined. None of those hypotheses has been confirmed in court or by prosecutors.
Security was visibly tightened at other U.S.-linked bases in England, with Reuters witnesses describing additional armoured vehicles at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall. The arrests come amid wider warnings from UK officials about hostile-state activity, including a reported rise in national-security cases tied to Iran and Russia over the past year.
What happens next
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans of Counter Terrorism Policing said teams were working with partners to establish the full circumstances and that the five men would be interviewed. Residents inside the cordon were told to follow police directions while forensic work continued. Prosecutors will decide whether any charges follow; until then, the case remains an active terrorism investigation centered on vehicles stopped before they reached one of Europe’s primary bomber staging points.