According to The Times, one of the five men arrested at the scene called an emergency phone line in the early hours of Sunday morning. Officers later checked the perimeter of the Gloucestershire base for explosives, the newspaper said. Police have confirmed the three vans stopped near the base contained stores of petrol but no explosives.
The five men are all British nationals from London, aged between 23 and 25. Counter-terrorism police say they were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and committing explosives offences, and an extension has been secured to continue holding them. No charges have been laid. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans described the investigation as 'hugely complex and large-scale', involving local and national policing, the Ministry of Defence and local agencies. She said officers had several new lines of inquiry and needed 'space to work carefully and clearly'.
The new detail has heightened speculation that the plot was an attempt by a foreign power, possibly Iran or Russia, to test British defences by hiring proxies to drive to the base. RAF Fairford is used by the US air force in operations against Iran. Florida congresswoman Kat Cammack asserted, without providing specifics, that Iran was 'clearly involved', and US President Donald Trump claimed the arrested men had been under investigation 'for a long time'.
The picture around the arrests remains confused. A farmer who says she alerted police after spotting vans blocking a road and hooded men near the base has told reporters she received 'no follow-up at all' from authorities. Local residents also maintain they raised the alarm, with one telling the BBC a police officer instructed her to return home. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the farmer but said she had only 'a partial picture'. Streeting has indicated security forces were aware in advance about the group. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to chair a COBRA emergency meeting.