A farmer has described the WhatsApp message she sent to neighbours warning of a "bomb plot" at RAF Fairford after she confronted a suspected terror cell near the base. The unnamed woman in her 50s told locals "something very odd is going on in the village" after she encountered a group near her home in Whelford, a village just outside the Cotswolds base, as she returned from a party.
Dramatic message to villagers
In a text to her village WhatsApp group, the woman, who preferred to remain anonymous, wrote: "If anyone is awake... something very odd is going on in the village. The road by the village hall is blocked by three white vans and we saw a group of masked men. I've called the police to report it."
She described the "flash moment" as she encountered three suspicious vans in the early hours of Sunday morning. She initially rang 101 at 1.36am but gave up after four minutes of trying to connect with an operator, and four minutes later rang 999. She said it was a "really hard call" and added: "I didn't really know where to start because I felt a bit of a wally. They asked for the 'What Three Words' of the location of the vans, so I gave that to them."
Police response and arrests
Gloucestershire Police said armed officers attended the scene following a call at around 12.45am on Sunday after receiving a report of suspicious vehicles in RAF Fairford's vicinity. They arrested five men on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and later, preparation of a terrorist act under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
The men had been travelling in three vehicles, police said, which have since been subject to "extensive examination" with the support of forensics experts and military assets. The scene remains locked off to the general public as the investigation continues, with residents evacuated from the cordon area still being housed in temporary accommodation.
Investigation ongoing
Counter Terrorism police have since revealed that the men are all British nationals from London, aged between 23 and 25, and have been released on police bail. A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing said: "To be very clear, this does not mean 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 enquiry."
The farmer who originally submitted the report has said neither she nor her fellow villagers have heard back from investigators. She has also hit out at Wes Streeting after the defence secretary said the farmer only had a "partial picture" when she contacted emergency services. She said: "I know it's been said by some of the higher-ups today that I didn't have the full picture. But the picture I had was three extremely unusual vehicles parkd in the middle of our village. And a group of unknown men running around. So that's my picture. I don't know how he knows what picture I've got. I've never met him. Nobody, literally nobody in any sort of official capacity has been in touch with me or anyone else in the village."
