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Five British men arrested over a suspected plot to attack RAF Fairford have been released on police bail as counter-terrorism officers investigate whether a foreign state was involved.
The men, aged between 23 and 25 and all from London, were detained early on Sunday after police were alerted to three white vans travelling towards the Gloucestershire airbase, which is used by American bombers flying missions connected with the conflict with Iran.
They were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and preparing an act of terrorism but have not been charged.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “Following extensive interviews and inquiries, the five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon.
“To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry.”
Taylor said detectives were examining “every possible angle”, including whether those involved could have been acting as proxies or were “knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state”.
US President Donald Trump claimed the suspects had been under surveillance and intended to inflict serious damage on the base.
“We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great,” the US president said. “We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.”
British police have not confirmed Trump’s assertion that the group had been under surveillance before the arrests.
The suspects are a 24-year-old man from Camden, three men aged 23, 24 and 25 from Westminster and a 24-year-old from Willesden. All are British nationals.
The investigation began after Gloucestershire Police received a report at about 12.45am on Sunday concerning three suspicious vehicles which appeared to be travelling towards RAF Fairford.
Armed officers were deployed and arrested the five men in the nearby village of Whelford. They were initially detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act before being further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act under section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
The Guardian reported that explosives were found in the vans and that investigators initially believed material recovered from the vehicles was consistent with improvised explosive devices.
Police have not publicly confirmed that viable bombs or completed improvised explosive devices were recovered.
Army explosive ordnance disposal specialists were sent to examine the vans and a 400-metre cordon was imposed around them. About 85 households were advised to leave their homes as a precaution while bomb disposal teams carried out their work.
The alarm was raised after a local farmer encountered vans and a group of masked men on a road near the base. She subsequently said members of the group fled after realising they had been seen.
The farmer said she initially tried to contact Ministry of Defence Police before calling 999 at 1.36am, with armed officers arriving about ten minutes later.
The investigation is examining whether the alleged plot had any connection to Iran, although police have stressed that they are keeping an open mind about the motive and possible involvement of any foreign state.
The Iranian embassy in London has denied any connection, saying it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” speculation linking Tehran to the incident.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in July that RAF Fairford could be regarded as a legitimate target because of its use by American aircraft during operations against Iran.
RAF Fairford is one of the principal bases used by the United States Air Force in Britain and has a runway capable of accommodating B-1 and B-52 strategic bombers.
Security around the base has been heightened during the conflict with Iran.
Trump praised co-operation between British and American authorities following the arrests, describing the operation as “fantastic”.
His claim that the men had been under investigation before their arrest has raised questions about exactly what British and American intelligence agencies knew.
Reuters reported, however, that a source familiar with the investigation said the arrests themselves were not intelligence-led.
Taylor said police had maintained security measures proportionate to the threat while continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He said: “To respond to incidents such as these, rapid mobilisation is necessary, as we cannot take the risk whilst assessing that threat.
“However, once we understand the threat more clearly, we seek to return affected communities to normality as quickly as possible.”
The decision to release the men on bail means no suspect is currently being held in custody over the alleged plot.
Counter-terrorism detectives are continuing to examine the vehicles and other evidence while attempting to establish what the men were doing near the base, whether any explosive material was capable of being detonated and whether other people were involved.
Police have not said when the five men are due to answer bail.
