Suspects near RAF Fairford are said to have called emergency numbers and foiled the attack

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. It was previously reported that the arrests came after a local resident called police because she saw three vans and a group of masked men near the base. The police were apparently already on site at the time because the suspect had called almost an hour earlier. This was reported by the British newspapers The Times and Guardian.

Accordingly, it should now be clarified whether the five men acted on behalf of Iran. The suspect's motive for calling the police was initially unclear. The British authorities have so far provided little information about the possible background. The air base served as a base for attacks on Iran by the United States.

Inoperable explosives

The men were arrested 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 an accelerant, namely petrol, and seized it as part of our investigation,” said the head of the counter-terrorism unit, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor. According to police, those arrested are British citizens, between 23 and 25 years old and resident in London. They have since been released under conditions.