FAIRFORD, United Kingdom — British counterterrorism police are investigating whether people acting for a foreign state were involved in a suspected terrorism plot targeting RAF Fairford, as five men arrested near the United States-used airbase were released on bail.
The five suspects, all British nationals from London in their early 20s, were detained early Sunday after police were alerted to three white vans travelling towards the Gloucestershire base, which is used by American military aircraft.
They were arrested on suspicion of offences involving explosives and preparation of a terrorist act, according to Reuters.
On Monday, September 28, 2026, Laurence Taylor, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said the men would be released subject to strict bail conditions while detectives continued examining several possible explanations for the incident.
“To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over,” Taylor said. The five men remained under investigation, he added.
Police Examine Possible Foreign-State Role
Taylor said investigators were considering whether people involved in the episode could have been acting, knowingly or otherwise, for another country.
He did not identify a particular state.
A person familiar with the investigation told Reuters that investigators considered a motive connected to Iran among the possibilities being examined.
The source said potential Russian involvement and an Islamist motive were also among the lines of inquiry.
None of those possibilities has been established publicly by police.
Iran’s embassy in London denied involvement and rejected speculation connecting Tehran to the incident.
The question of a possible Iranian connection has drawn attention because RAF Fairford has been used by the United States for military operations involving Iran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in July that the base was a legitimate target.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the episode “might be” connected to Iran. He also criticised the decision to release the suspects on bail, saying, “I wouldn’t have done that.”
Police, however, have not attributed the suspected plot to Iran or any other foreign government.
Farmer Alerted Police to Vans
The arrests followed a call from a local farmer who reported seeing suspicious activity near the base.
The farmer told reporters that she saw hooded and masked men running into fields and believed her emergency call had disrupted a possible plot.
She said she may have seen as many as 10 people in the area.
British Defence Minister Wes Streeting later said the farmer had only a partial view of the investigation and did not provide additional details about what intelligence or information authorities possessed before the arrests.
A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that the arrests were not prompted by intelligence, although security at RAF Fairford had already been heightened because authorities were aware of an increased threat.
Counterterrorism investigators, military specialists, and forensic teams examined the three vans while substantial police resources remained deployed around the site.
Authorities established a 400-metre security cordon and evacuated about 85 homes in the nearby village of Whelford while the Army’s explosive ordnance disposal specialists examined the vehicles.
Residents were later permitted to return after the area was declared safe.
Security Tightened Around U.S. Bases
The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert after the arrests, advising Americans in Britain to exercise caution and pay attention to their personal security.
Reuters reported that measures were also increased at other American airbases in Britain.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a meeting of the British government’s emergency response committee as authorities assessed the incident.
Britain’s national terrorism threat level remains at “severe,” the second-highest classification, meaning an attack is considered highly likely.
The level was raised in April following a series of antisemitic incidents in north London.
Police have separately been investigating whether Iran was connected to several incidents involving properties associated with Jewish communities or Iranian dissidents.
Those investigations are distinct from the RAF Fairford case.
The five men released on bail remain suspects, and police said the investigation into what happened near RAF Fairford, the intentions of those involved, and any possible foreign connection was continuing.
