British intelligence agencies, led by counter-terrorism police, are conducting a large-scale operation near RAF Fairford airbase in southwest England. Five men have been arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack and violating the Explosive Substances Act. Nothing is known yet about the goals and motives of the attackers.
In addition to British military aircraft, Fairford is a permanent base for the US Air Force, and American bombers have been deployed there since the start of the war with Iran. Eyewitnesses had previously seen B-1 bombers behind its fence.
Army sappers, using a special robot, examined several vehicles in the morning, and dozens of families were evacuated from the village of Welford near the airbase in the morning. The police set up a cordon, and a large number of emergency services vehicles arrived at the scene.
During the day, Gloucestershire Police Deputy Chief Constable Richard Ocon said at a brief press conference that on Sunday night at around 00:45 local time (23:45 September 26 GMT), police received a call about “three suspicious vehicles” heading towards Fairford Air Force Base.
Local resident Julian Tudsbury, who was evacuated from his home in the early hours of Sunday morning, said three “unusual vans” appeared in the area overnight. He claims that on the recordings from CCTV cameras on the porches of the houses, which residents viewed remotely after the evacuation, one could see “certain robots looking into the back of these vans.”
In the morning, Gloucestershire Police reported that several men had been arrested on suspicion of breaching the Explosive Substances Act, but the exact number of those detained was not given at the time. Later, the counter-terrorism police clarified that the five arrested were also suspected of preparing a terrorist act.
Under British law, those suspected of plotting a terrorist attack can be detained for two weeks without being charged.
According to police, residents of 85 houses were evacuated. The cordon, which had been in place since early Sunday morning, has been extended to 400 meters to cover RAF Fairford.
BBC correspondent Alastair McKee reports that all people were evacuated from the area around the airbase to a village further down the road.
British military police are also involved in maintaining the cordon, a military source told the BBC.
One of the residents, who has lived in the area for 18 years, said that the police woke her up by knocking on her door at about seven in the morning and ordered her to immediately leave the house, not allowing her to take her dog with her.
A district council spokesman did not rule out that local residents would have to spend the next night away from home.
There was no formal announcement of increased security in the area until Sunday, but one resident noted that increased security had been installed there in recent weeks.
She told the Press Association there were "very heavy vehicles" at all gates and "huge concrete walls" had been erected behind some entrances.
The police and counter-terrorism services have not yet announced any details that would allow us to understand what events the actions of the suspects could be connected with and who could be behind the organization of the alleged terrorist attack.
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale recalls that the airbase was used by the US Air Force to house bombers involved in the war in Iran, now in its seventh month.
Iranian authorities in July accused Britain of complicity in war crimes and issued an unequivocal warning: “Any party involved in any way in military aggression against Iran will bear the consequences of this decision.” Fairford Air Force Base was mentioned in the IRGC statement.
Diplomats of the two countries are still unable to resolve the US-Iranian conflict. Some analysts, notes the BBC correspondent, suggest that Iran is tempted to escalate and cause new costs for the United States. However, there is no evidence yet to indicate that the incident at the British Air Force base may be related to this.
Meanwhile, Frank Gardner, the BBC's security correspondent, writes that what happened can also be seen in the context of the European war.
The operation near the air base comes amid a growing number of incidents that Western authorities link to Russia's so-called "hybrid war" against the West. According to Western sources, the goal of the campaign, which the Kremlin, or more precisely its military intelligence GRU, is behind, is to punish countries that support Ukraine.
In recent years, such incidents have included arson, cyber attacks, and unidentified drones flying near strategic sites such as nuclear bases and power plants. Three drones with explosives were also recently discovered at Leipzig-Halle Airport in Germany, which serves as a cargo hub for supplies to Ukraine.
Russia believes that NATO, and in particular some countries such as the UK, are already waging an indirect war with Moscow by supplying Ukraine with long-range munitions, and that it is time for these countries to directly feel the cost of such support, our correspondent notes.
However, Gardner makes a reservation that in the absence of accurate data from the police and intelligence services, this is nothing more than an assumption.
Situated on the Gloucestershire/Wiltshire border, RAF Fairford has long been used by the United States Air Force (USAF) as a forward operating location.
During the Cold War and later during the first Gulf War in 1991, the base was home to the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command.
The US Air Force also deployed B-52 bombers from the base in 2003 to strike Iraq.
The base was last used on March 1, after then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave permission for US “defensive” operations against Iranian missile sites to be carried out from the base. The British Ministry of Defense then described them as "defensive missions to destroy Iran's missile capabilities."
BBC weapons analyst Chris Partridge reports seeing B-52 bombers at the base earlier this year loaded with AGM-158 cruise missiles for precision strikes from a safe distance, as well as more modern B-1Bs loaded with GBU-31(v) 3/b JDAM precision free-fall bombs designed to penetrate fortifications and destroy bunkers.
