Five men have been arrested near RAF Fairford after a farmer reported seeing masked figures fleeing from three suspicious white vans in the early hours.
Police mounted a helicopter search operation in Whelford, Gloucestershire, after the woman spotted the vehicles blocking a road close to the US airbase, which is less than a mile from the village centre.
She said she became suspicious when the phone number displayed on one van appeared to be missing a digit. After turning her car around, she saw men in balaclavas running towards nearby trees and fields.
The farmer drove away before calling police and warning residents through a local WhatsApp group to lock their doors. Five men were later detained by armed officers and photographed sitting shirtless on the ground with their hands cuffed behind their backs.
The three vans were examined by a bomb disposal robot and a 400-metre cordon was imposed around them. Police also evacuated the 85 homes in Whelford as a precaution.
The vehicles appeared to carry barrels, while one was marked ‘FUEL 2YOU’ in red lettering. A company with the same name said it had two vans and that both were in London at the time.
Gloucestershire Police Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth has indicated that officers are not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident.
Residents evacuated after arrests near RAF Fairford
Residents were taken to Cirencester Leisure Centre, about ten miles away, after officers went from door to door. Areas were also being prepared for pets, with police collecting at least one resident’s dog.
One woman, who had lived in Whelford for 18 years, said officers woke her at about 7am and told her there was a critical incident. “We just had to throw our clothes on and come. We didn’t know anything,” she said.
Another resident said a helicopter had been heard above the village at about 2am. Several hours later, armed officers wearing masks banged on the bedroom window and told the household to leave for its own safety.
“We grabbed some things and headed to the leisure centre,” the resident said. “We haven’t been told when we can go back. It’s been a very scary day.”
The farmer said she believed her headlights may have startled the men. “They probably thought we were the police [and] panicked,” she said.
She said she had seen more than five people, despite five arrests, and believed some had run towards the airbase. “It is pretty incredible, realising you had a brush with potential terrorists face to face and may have foiled a terrorist plot,” she said.
She reportedly first tried to contact police at RAF Fairford, but received no answer before calling 999. A resident, Julian Tudsbery, said: “Evidently, they phoned the airbase police, who didn’t answer the phone. It just rang out so she dialled 999.”
RAF Fairford is used by the United States Air Force and has been on high alert, with security increased in recent weeks. The arrests took place as police investigated what was described as a suspected terrorist threat near the base.
