Police received a call in the early hours of Sunday after three suspicious vehicles were observed travelling toward the base. Armed officers detained the five men in the nearby Whelford area on suspicion of explosives offences and, subsequently, preparation of a terrorist act under section 5 of the Terrorism Act. Bomb disposal teams used robotic equipment to examine three white vans found at the scene. Eighty-five homes in the village of Welford were evacuated after a major incident was declared.
The Times reported that one active line of inquiry concerns a possible link to Iran — an allegation counterterrorism detectives have neither confirmed nor ruled out. The inquiry's direction is not accidental context. RAF Fairford hosts US Air Force bombers that were used in operations against Iranian missile sites following permission granted by the then-prime minister. Iran publicly designated UK bases used by the US as legitimate targets in July.
US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters, said the suspects were "looking to do big damage" and credited joint UK-US law enforcement work, though he offered no operational specifics.
RAF Fairford has since been raised to threat level Delta — the highest on the US Department of Defense scale. Investigators will continue working to analyse any devices seized and establish the details of any plot and potential motivation.
Gabriel Fenech 
Alexandre Noir 
Dua Mifsud