Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has praised a farmer who alerted the authorities about a suspected terror attack on an RAF base used by US planes for bombing missions against Iran.
The woman has told how she tried to contact a Ministry of Defence phoneline, for people to call if they saw suspicious activity, but no-one answered. She eventually succeeded in sounding the alarm about the suspected terror plot targeting RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
Streeting thanks member of the public
Speaking on Sky News on Monday morning, Mr Streeting said: “What I do want to say is, firstly, thank you to that member of the public. She has done exactly what we would hope that someone in that extraordinary situation would do, and I'm really grateful to her.”
However, Mr Streeting also hinted that Britain’s security services were aware of the suspected plot. He added: “With respect, though, she does only have a partial picture, and that's as far as I wish to go this morning. But I do want to emphasise my thanks to the police and the security services, because their work takes place often unsung, unreported, for good reason.”
Arrests and investigation
Counter terror police are understood to be investigating whether Iran is linked to the suspected terror plot at the military airbase used by US bombers. Five men were arrested on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offences after armed police stopped three vans travelling towards RAF Fairford.
The group, detained in the nearby village of Whelford, Gloucestershire, in the early hours of Sunday, were “looking to do big damage”, US President Donald Trump later said. However, there was confusion over whether the police operation was intelligence-led and if investigators had known about the potential plot in advance.
The farmer, who was driving near the base in the early hours of Sunday morning, dialled 999 after spotting the vehicles “blocking the road” before seeing a “large group of hooded and ‘balaclava’d’ men”. The Whelford resident said “they would have seen the bright headlights” and “they probably thought we were the police (and) panicked”. She added: “It would appear that by doing so I just derailed whatever they were planning.”
Police response and community impact
Officers arrived on the scene about 15 minutes after she raised the alarm, she said. Residents had at the time understood the base was on lockdown because of a “terror threat”, the woman added. A pensioner living nearby similarly described an apparent increase in Fairford’s security in recent weeks, telling how heavy tractor-like vehicles had been parked and concrete walls laid behind the gates.
Gloucestershire Constabulary said it received reports of the suspicious vehicles travelling to the base at about 12.45am on Sunday. Officers arrested the men under the Explosives Act and they were later further arrested under suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. Suspects detained under the Terrorism Act 2000 can be held for up to 14 days without charge, compared to the 24-hour limit for standard arrests without an extension application.
Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot spending hours inspecting three white vans, two of which had open rear doors. Large black barrels appeared to be scattered around. A 400-metre cordon was erected and 85 evacuated households were unable to return home overnight. Cotswold District Council was seeking accommodation for some.
The Army’s ordnance disposal unit was still examining the vehicles in the cordon by the evening, Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, from Bedfordshire Constabulary, told a press conference. Agencies “believe the matter to be contained”, she later added.
Wider security context
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident was “deeply concerning” and the Government would “always take every step necessary” to protect people. Investigators will now be working to analyse any devices seized from those arrested to establish details of any plot and any potential motivation.
The arrests come amid heightened concerns around the threat from hostile states to the UK, with Russia and Iran among those that have used proxies to commit crimes on their behalf on British soil. In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states including Iran increased 50% in the six months to December 2025.
That same month, after then prime minister Sir Keir Starmer granted permission for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases, four American bombers landed at RAF Fairford and the US started using British bases for “specific defensive operations”. Separately, a spate of antisemitic attacks on Jewish sites in London this year were claimed by a group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (Hayi), which is thought to be backed by Iran.
