Five men arrested over ‘preparing terrorist act with plot to bomb RAF base’ – as

[SVPete]

Five men arrested over ‘preparing terrorist act with plot to bomb RAF base’ – as police robot probes three vans

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/40507346/homes-evacuated-raf-bomb-squad-probe-explosives-arrests/

FIVE men have been arrested over a suspected terrorist plot to bomb an RAF base as a robot probes three vans and 85 homes are evacuated.

The Army’s specialist bomb disposal team was scrambled to the scene to examine the vehicles after the men were arrested under the Explosives Act.

Three suspicious vehicles were spotted heading for RAF Fairford early this morning with police alerted and armed cops scrambled to the scene.

A total of 85 locals were evacuated from their homes in Whelford, Gloucestershire, near RAF Fairford and taken to a nearby leisure centre with police declaring a major incident early this morning.
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Whelford resident Julian Tudsbery, who has lived in the village for 30 years said a resident had reported three “suspicious vans” in the village in the early hours of Sunday morning.

“Evidently, they phoned the airbase police, who didn’t answer the phone,” he said. “It just rang out so she dialled 999.”

5 men arrested near UK air base used by US in Iran war on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act

https://apnews.com/article/britain-explosives-us-air-base-fairford-49495441036e78763e106bbeadd1e839

LONDON (AP) — U.K. police said Sunday that five men arrested in the middle of the night near an air base used by the United States during its war against Iran are being held on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act that appeared to involve three trucks.

London’s Metropolitan Police, which takes the lead on potential terrorist activities, said police received a call at 12:45 a.m. related to the three suspicious vehicles that appeared to be traveling toward RAF Fairford, a U.K.-owned base that is operated by the U.S. under an agreement dating back to the Cold War.

Fairford has been used by American bombers for strictly limited strikes against Iranian missile sites under an agreement with former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who voiced opposition to the war after it was launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28.
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U.S. President Donald Trump heaped praise on those involved with the arrests.

“It was an amazing job. We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort. And working with the British worked out great,” he told reporters in Chicago. “We had them under view for a long time and we got them.”

[SVPete]

RAF Fairford Plot, Day 2: Public Demanding Answers - Officials, Media Channel Norm MacDonald UPDATE

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/09/28/raf-fairford-plot-day-2-public-demanding-answers-officials-media-channel-norm-mcdonald-n3819389

This is where the light of the next day starts to tease out more details.

She said she'd called the base hotline number all the Whelford residents had, gotten no response, then another line - still no answer. And finally the British version of our 911, which is 999, and that's when the Gloucestershire police responded.

I held off commenting on the base hotline side of it, because surely it wasn't our Air Force running that, and it turns out I was correct. It was a British Ministry of Defense line, and aren't they catching hell for that today.
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There's another mystery, and this one has yet to be teased apart. Initial reports all said that a call came in to the Gloucestershire police at 12:45 AM about the suspicious vans, and when this intrepid farmer's interview broke late yesterday afternoon in the Telegraph telling her hair-raising story, everyone assumed they were one and the same. I know I did.

But, hello.

The farmer's encounter didn't happen until almost an hour later - nearly 1:45 am.
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Everyone in that village, where many of them work on base or know someone locally who does, knew the base security threat level had been raised in the days immediately preceding the foiled attack.

Summarizing: the base knew of a threat and implemented extra security measures several days before this incident; someone called local police at 12:45 AM, and ???; the farmer lady tried calling the base using the number provided to locals, and no answer; farmer lady then called local police and action finally happened. RAF base security isn't looking good, and local police only somewhat less bad.

Quoted in the article:

Five men arrested over a suspected bomb plot targeting RAF Fairford have been released on bail.

The men, who are all British nationals aged 23 to 25, were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences, after three vans were discovered 400m from the Gloucestershire air base.

The suspects are from the London areas of Camden, Westminster and Willesden, police confirmed on Monday.

Emphasis per the article. What the Bloody 'Ell?!!!