Suspect at RAF Fairford is said to have called emergency services himself
Quick Look
- According to media reports, during the arrests at the British military base RAF Fairford, one of the five suspects is said to have called the emergency number himself before a local resident alerted the police.
- The men were suspected of preparing for a terrorist attack.
- Gasoline was seized as an accelerant, but no functional explosives were found.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The arrests took place near the British military base RAF Fairford, which is used by the US Air Force, including for operations against Iran. It was initially assumed that a resident had made the emergency call because of suspicious activity. New reports indicate that one of the suspects called 911 himself before the resident alerted the police.
New turn in the case of the arrests at the British military base RAF Fairford: According to media reports, one of the five suspects is said to have called the emergency number himself. This is reported by the BBC and The Times, among others.
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 (more on that here). According to information from the BBC and The Times, the police were already on site at the time because the suspect had called almost an hour earlier.
The background to why the suspect called the emergency number is not given in the media reports.
No explosives found, but plenty of gasoline
The men were picked up on Sunday night near the British military base RAF Fairford, which is used by the US Air Force. You are suspected of preparing a terrorist act. Investigations are also underway 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.
The USA uses the Fairford air base, among other things, for attacks on Iran. The regime in Tehran “strongly” rejected any involvement and spoke of “malicious speculation.”
The British authorities are very reluctant to comment on the possible background and warn against hasty conclusions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, said: "This is clearly something in which a foreign actor has a hand in it." He said on Fox News that he would not go into the details at this point. But: "What happened in the United Kingdom over the weekend, what almost happened and what could have happened, is a very serious matter."
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The British authorities will release further details on the background to the arrests in the coming days.
Likely · Within days
The US will review its security measures at RAF Fairford and similar bases.
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Why did the suspect call 911?
- What national backgrounds do the five arrested people have?
- Were there connections to foreign actors?
- What further investigations are being carried out regarding the Explosives Act?