GB News halted its regular programming on Monday, 28 September, to bring viewers a breaking update on the suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Reporter Sam Francis delivered the latest developments, beginning with a stark question: "This morning, there is a much more serious question of what did the authorities know beforehand, and indeed, how close did we come to a serious terror incident?"
Francis noted that it remains unclear whether UK authorities or the US Armed Forces were tracking the five men who have been arrested, or were aware of the alleged plot. The suspected plot was exposed and reported by a local woman, believed to be a farmer, who dialled 999 on Sunday morning after seeing "suspicious vehicles" and a number of men "whom she described as running in balaclavas into the forest," towards RAF Fairford.
President Trump reacts to arrests
Francis explained that President Donald Trump had since reacted to the five arrests, before playing a clip of the US leader. "Working with Britain, it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our port," the 80-year-old declared. "We had them under view for a long time, and we got them."
Resuming his report, Francis pointed out that RAF Fairford has been "the base where the US military has been launching a number of their Iranian operations against Tehran in recent months." He added: "The Iranian Revolutionary Guard issued a warning in July against UK and American bases set here in Britain, that if they are used continually for those attacks against Iran, they would be deemed as legitimate targets."
Residents evacuated after incident
Francis clarified that there has been no confirmation at this stage that Iran was behind the alleged and attempted attack on Sunday. Asked by GB News host Ellie Costello whether the 85 residents living nearby had returned to their properties after an evacuation on Sunday, Francis said that the police's "priority" at this stage is to get those people back "safely and quickly into their homes."
The journalist concluded that there had not been an exact timescale for the residents' return; however, from the conversations he and the GB News team had, he doubted it would be any later than the "middle of the week."
