UK Media Reports Iran-Linked Bomb Plot Foiled at RAF Fairford by Farmer's Tip

Almost every front page is dominated by what the Telegraph suggests is an "Iran link to RAF bomb plot". It reports five men have been arrested for "terror and explosive offences" after three suspicious vans were reported travelling towards RAF Fairford. Counter terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the incident at the base, according to the paper. It says that in July, Iran threatened to attack the base, on the basis that anywhere used to launch strikes on Iran was a "legitimate target". Following the incident on Sunday morning, the paper reports that RAF Fairford is on its highest state of alert, and RAF Lakenheath, which also hosts US troops, has had its threat level increased.

The Sun adds that it was a "hero farmer" who thwarted the potential attack, after she spotted people in balaclavas near the base on her way home from a party in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The Daily Mail declares "'Iran bomb plot' at RAF base foiled by farmer's 999 call". The paper says RAF Fairford has been used by US military to launch airstrikes against Iran, and quotes US President Donald Trump, who said the suspects "were looking to do big damage to our fort".

The Daily Express is one of many papers that carries a photograph it says shows the five men being arrested near the RAF base. The paper reports bomb disposal teams have examined devices found across three vans, and adds that some 85 families from nearby homes have been evacuated.

The same image is front and centre of the Times, which reports the "apparently sophisticated nature of the plot" caught police and security services by surprise. Although intelligence has led to increased security at military bases across the UK, the paper writes, police only launched a "last-minute" intervention at RAF Fairford after receiving the 999 call in the early hours of Sunday morning. Sources confirmed to the paper that the arrests were neither "pre-planned nor intelligence-led".

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