Five Held Over Suspected Plot at the Airbase Used to Strike Iran
Armed officers stopped three vans heading for RAF Fairford at about a quarter to one on Sunday morning and arrested five men, first under the Explosives Act and then on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. A major incident was declared, a 400-metre cordon imposed and about 85 households evacuated from the village of Whelford. An Army bomb disposal team spent the day examining the vehicles.
The target matters as much as the plot. Fairford is British-owned and American-operated under a Cold War agreement, home to the United States Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing, and Britain allowed it to be used to strike Iranian missile sites after the war began on 28 February. Counter-terrorism officers have taken the investigation over, and the Terrorism Act allows those arrested under it to be held for up to fourteen days without charge, against twenty-four hours for an ordinary arrest. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans was deliberately spare: “We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody.” Gloucestershire Police said the incident was “contained” and that it was “enacting the well-rehearsed plans we have in place”. The Americans said only that they “remain vigilant” and would not discuss force protection. The Prime Minister is being kept updated. Watch whether charges follow or the men are released.