Five men who were arrested on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offences after a major incident was declared at an RAF airbase in the west of England are due to be released on police bail.
Three vans were spotted near RAF Fairford in the early hours of Sunday morning and the police were called, before a huge police operation in Gloucestershire saw the area put under cordon.
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said on Monday that officers were exploring “multiple lines of inquiry”, including whether proxies or individuals knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state were involved.
The five men are all UK nationals in their 20s from London.
The 5 Terrorists arrested for trying to bomb RAF Fairford Air Base are being RELEASED on Bail.
How do you stop what would have been a catastrophic terror attack on Americans only to let them go?
The U.K. government is incompetent.
This is insane. pic.twitter.com/HsN3xLeGjf
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 28, 2026
Smile …
RAF Fairford pic.twitter.com/V6VH47ryMt
— MinistryofWit (@MinistryofWit) September 28, 2026
