UK investigates suspected plot near RAF Fairford after five arrests

British authorities are investigating a suspected security plot near RAF Fairford after five people were arrested and a 400-metre cordon was imposed around the air base. About 85 homes were evacuated while counter-terrorism police and security agencies continued their work. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting thanked a local farmer who alerted emergency services after reportedly seeing hooded and masked people near the base.

The farmer told the BBC that three white vans had blocked a road and driveway while she was returning from a party. She said a group of masked people ran into fields and towards a neighbouring village after seeing her. She called the Ministry of Defence police and then 999 after the first number went unanswered.

Streeting said her actions were exactly what authorities would hope from a member of the public but cautioned that she had only seen part of the circumstances. He also said military bases could be targets for state-backed actors seeking to harm the country. The nationalities and ages of the five suspects, their motivations and their precise plans had not been established in the supplied report.

Authorities were expected to provide further information. The report said investigators were considering possible links to Iran, citing earlier warnings by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps about RAF Fairford’s use by US bombers. However, sources cautioned that no possibility, including a jihadist motive, had been ruled out.

The UK threat level remained severe, meaning an attack was considered highly likely. Any proven Iranian involvement would represent a major escalation in tensions between London and Tehran, but the investigation had not established such a connection.