Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has praised a farmer who raised the alarm over an alleged terror plot near RAF Fairford, but said she had only a “partial picture” of the security operation.
The woman, who has not been named, encountered three white vans blocking a lane close to the Gloucestershire airbase in the early hours. She said masked men fled into woodland and surrounding fields when her vehicle approached.
She first tried to contact police at the base but said nobody answered, prompting her to dial 999 and alert residents in the nearby village of Whelford through a WhatsApp group.
Five men were arrested within about 25 minutes by armed counter-terrorism officers. Police are investigating whether the alleged plot was linked to Iran and whether the group intended to target US aircraft at RAF Fairford.
Asked about the farmer’s actions, Mr Streeting said: “She has done exactly what we would hope that someone in that extraordinary situation would do, and I’m really grateful to her.”
He added: “I think she acted, by her own admission, quickly and thoughtfully, and she did the right thing. With respect, though, she does only have a partial picture, and that’s as far as I wish to go this morning.”
Farmer said more men fled the scene
The farmer said she believed more than five people had been present, despite only five arrests being announced. Gloucestershire Police’s temporary chief constable, Maggie Blyth, has indicated that officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
“I just thought what the hell are they doing… I saw a group of Middle Eastern-looking young guys running off through the trees,” the woman said.
“Some of them had masks or balaclavas on, and they all scattered ahead of us as we drove back past. Some of them ran into the fields, and some of them turned to run towards the air base.”
She said the vans had appeared suspicious because the lettering and telephone number on one of them seemed to be fake. One vehicle was marked “FUEL 2YOU”, although a company with that name said its two vans were in London.
The arrested men were later seen shirtless and handcuffed, amid reports that police may have been concerned they were wearing explosive vests. The five remain in custody and can be questioned for up to a fortnight under anti-terror laws.
RAF Fairford is used by the United States Air Force and had recently been involved in operations against Iran. The base, less than a mile from Whelford, had already increased security in recent weeks.
Donald Trump praised UK-US co-operation and said the men had been under investigation. Asked whether the suspects were migrants, he appeared to nod but did not answer directly.
“We know all about them,” he said. “You’ll be hearing about it very soon. We caught them.”
Residents evacuated from Whelford
A 400-metre cordon was placed around the vans while bomb disposal officers examined them. Police also evacuated about 85 homes in Whelford, with residents taken to Cirencester Leisure Centre.
Residents described being woken by helicopters and officers knocking on their doors. One said armed and masked police told her there was a “serious incident” and that she had to leave immediately.
Another resident said officers collected her dog and took it to the leisure centre. People were allowed to bring their pets with them as the operation continued.
The farmer said she was relieved to have escaped safely after the men scattered. “It is pretty incredible, realising you had a face-to-face brush with potential terrorists and may have foiled a terrorist plot,” she said. “Thank God we spotted them.”
