Five UK nationals arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire have been released on police bail as counter-terrorism investigators continue probing a suspected terrorist plot involving three suspicious vehicles.
Police were alerted around 00:45 BST on September 27 after a local resident reported three vans travelling towards the airbase.
The men, aged 23 to 25 and from London, were initially arrested under the Explosives Act and later on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. They remain under investigation and face restrictions on movement and contact.
Counter Terrorism Policing chief Laurence Taylor said officers were examining “multiple lines of inquiry”, including whether individuals were acting knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state.
No foreign government has been officially linked to the incident. Iran’s embassy has denied suggestions of involvement.
A 400-metre cordon remains around the vehicles, which have undergone extensive examination with military and forensic support.
Around 85 households were evacuated as a precaution but have since been allowed to return home.
RAF Fairford, a long-standing US military operating base, has been used for US operations in the Middle East.
Authorities have urged the public not to speculate while the investigation establishes the facts.
