Man is said to have called emergency services and thwarted terrorist attack near RAF Fairford

According to media reports, one of the five men arrested on suspicion of terrorism near a US air force base in Great Britain is said to have called the emergency number himself and thus thwarted a suspected planned act. According to previous reports, the arrests were made after a resident called 911 because she saw three vans and a group of masked men near the base early Sunday morning. According to information from the British daily newspaper “The Times”, the police were already on site at the time because the suspect had called almost an hour earlier.

As the newspaper further reported, the police investigation will focus on finding out whether the five men acted on behalf of Iran or whether there were other motives behind the foiled act. The suspect's motive for calling the police was initially unclear.

The British authorities have so far held back from making any statements about the possible background and have warned against hasty conclusions. The air base served the USA as a starting point for attacks on the country in the ongoing conflict.

Police: “No improvised explosive devices” found

The men were picked up on Sunday night near the British military base RAF Fairford, which is used by the US Air Force. They are suspected of preparing a terrorist act and are also being investigated on suspicion of violations of the Explosives Act. However, according to police, the suspicious material carried by the men did not turn out to be functional explosives.

“We can confirm that no improvised explosive devices were found. "We found a quantity of an accelerant, namely petrol, and seized it as part of our investigation," said the head of the counter-terrorism unit, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the police, those arrested are British citizens, between 23 and 25 years old and have a residence in the capital London. They have now been released on conditional terms.