The US government has urged Americans in Britain to “exercise caution” following an alleged attempted terrorist attack near a US-linked air force base.
The US Embassy in the UK said it was aware that five men had been arrested in Fairford after allegedly planning to cause serious damage to American military interests. The warning was issued on Sunday.
“The US Embassy is aware of arrests on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act near the Royal Air Force base in Fairford, UK,” the embassy said in a statement.
The agency advised US citizens to remain alert, take personal-security precautions and follow any instructions issued by local authorities.
RAF Fairford, in Gloucestershire, serves as a US Air Force command base for operations launched from Europe. It has also been used in American strikes against Iranian missile sites involved in attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The installation was previously singled out by Iran‘s Revolutionary Guard in July, when Tehran warned Britain against allowing US bombers to operate from the base.
The US President commended British police for their response and said the suspects had already been under observation by authorities.
“It was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job,” he told reporters in Illinois. “We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great.”
The US Embassy said it had been informed of the arrests of five men in Fairford, who were allegedly planning to cause major damage to US forces, and urged American citizens to remain vigilant on Sunday.
Police arrested five men on terrorism-related charges near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
Heavily armed officers were seen at the main entrance to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
“It may have been Scotland Yard, I don’t know. We worked with a lot of them. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them. Thank you,” the President added.
The arrests are not thought to have resulted from a previously planned police operation, suggesting officers may have been responding to a newly reported threat.
A local farmer reportedly contacted police after encountering five masked men near the air base while returning home from a party. The group was allegedly connected to a suspected car-bomb plot.
“I just thought, what the hell are they doing? I saw a group of young men running through the trees. Some were wearing masks or balaclavas, and they scattered as we drove past,” the farmer told the Telegraph.
“Some ran into the fields, while others headed towards the air base. That was when we realised it could be something very serious,” she said.
The farmer is understood to have dialled 999 at around 12.45am, reporting people behaving suspiciously near three white vans. Police later said viable incendiary devices and chemicals were discovered inside one of the vehicles.
She said the vans had been “blocking the road” before she noticed a large group of hooded men, several of whom were wearing balaclavas, as she drove home.
About 85 homes in the surrounding Cotswolds countryside were evacuated as armed officers and the SAS responded. Army bomb-disposal specialists also searched the area for any additional devices.
The men were reported at about 12.45am by a local resident who saw them acting suspiciously near three white vans close to the air base perimeter. Police later said viable incendiary devices had been found inside the vehicles.
Maggie Blyth, Temporary Chief Constable for Gloucestershire Police, said the incident was now believed to have been ‘contained’.
‘These arrests will no doubt have caused some shock and anxiety and we want those living locally to RAF Fairford and across Gloucestershire to be sure and to know that, as agencies, we are working closely together to support them,’ she said.
‘You will appreciate this is a fast-moving situation and all agencies across Gloucestershire are actively working to respond to our communities’ needs and continue to provide information to our communities on a regular basis, we will also continue to assist counter-terrorism policing with their investigation and liaise with other national partners.
‘I can give reassurance that we believe the matter to be contained and as a set of agencies working together across Gloucestershire, we are gathering and responding to local intelligence all the time.’
A bomb disposal robot from the Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team was seen on Sunday moving between the three parked vans. Two vans’ rear doors were open and what appeared to be large black barrels could be seen outside.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the Government will ‘always take every step necessary’ to protect the country following the major incident.
He wrote on X: ‘I know today’s incident near RAF Fairford will be deeply concerning for local residents and for many people following developments across the country.
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‘My thanks go to Gloucestershire Police, Counter Terrorism Policing, our Armed Forces and all those working to keep the public safe.
‘I am especially grateful to those residents who have been asked to leave their homes while precautionary checks are carried out. 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.
‘The investigation remains ongoing, and I would urge people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.’
RAF Fairford has been put on Delta alert, the highest threat level used by Washington’s Department of Defense.
Meanwhile security has been tightened at other US bases in the UK, with reports that RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk has been placed on Charlie alert, the second-highest threat level.
A spokesman for the 48th Fighter Wing told Our News Outlet: ‘We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures are implemented or modified.
‘Please be assured that the Tri-Base area (RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell) remains vigilant and will take appropriate action to ensure the safety and security of US service members, US and UK civilians, contractors, and their families.’
The resident who pictured the group’s arrest told this newspaper: ‘I was asleep and was woken up by shouting coming from outside.
‘I couldn’t tell what was being shouted but as I got nearer the window, I could see the road was being lit up by blue flashing lights from police vehicles. On one side of the road, officers had five men lined up. They all had their shirts removed.
A shot from the BBC’s live feed showed the proximity of the vans (circled) to the air base
Armed police around the village of Whelford, near RAF Fairford on Sunday
‘They were instructed to sit down. They were patted down by the officers and then had their shoes and socks removed.
‘I think they must have been there for about half an hour. The suspects were then told to get up and were walked round the corner.
‘I lost sight of them after that but I presumed they were put in police vans and led away. This all happened just outside the perimeter of RAF Fairford.
‘The police are investigating three work vans parked a few hundred yards from my house. We’ve not been told much, we were just asked to evacuate our homes early this morning.’
Police were alerted to the incident in the early hours by a hero resident who reported men ‘acting suspiciously’ to police.
Julian Tudsbery, who has lived in Whelford for 30 years, said a local had reported three ‘suspicious vans’ in the village.
‘Evidently, they phoned the airbase police, who didn’t answer the phone,’ he said. ‘It just rang out so she dialled 999.’
In June, the US government said it would spend around $500million (£377million) on ‘expansion and military infrastructure’ at the base, understood to include a new hangar complex.
A B-1B Lancer bomber pictured at the air base, which has been used to mount US strikes against Iran since the US-led war began
A month earlier the Royal International Air Tattoo, set to be held at the base in July, was cancelled after the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises (RAFCTE) said the ‘escalating geopolitical situation in the Middle East’ had required a ‘significant increase in real-world operational missions’ from RAF Fairford.
RAFCTE said both the Royal and US air forces needed to ‘maintain unrestricted, 24/7 operational readiness at the base’.
Shortly after the US and Israel began the war with Iran on February 28, roads surrounding RAF Fairford were closed in a bid to ‘address safety and access issues’.
Protective screens were mounted on the base’s perimeter fences in March to stop filming after it became popular with plane spotters when US bombers began arriving.
That month US military personnel at the base were pictured preparing explosives at the base as Washington intensified strikes on Iran.
Our News Outlet reached out to The White House for comment.
