Five men bailed as police continue RAF Fairford investigation
The suspects remain under investigation as detectives examine possible links to Iran, Russia or militant groups. Police say no state involvement has been established.
Five men arrested near RAF Fairford have been released on bail while police continue investigating suspected explosives offences and preparing a terrorist act. The arrests followed the sighting of three vans near the UK-owned base, which is used by the US.
UK Counter Terrorism Policing said detectives were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including possible links to Iran, Russia or non-state militant groups. Investigators have not established whether the incident was state-backed or whether a plot existed.
The unnamed suspects are British nationals from London and in their 20s, police said. They face stringent bail conditions and remain under investigation, according to Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing.
Residents of 85 homes near the base were evacuated while army bomb-disposal experts examined the vans. Residents had not returned by Monday morning, and the vans had not been moved.
RAF Fairford has been a focus of anti-war protests. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in July that the base was a legitimate target; Iran’s embassy in London rejected speculation about Iranian involvement in the incident.
