US President Donald Trump has said a suspected terror plot against an RAF base used by the US Air Force (USAF) was “looking to do big damage”. Five men have been arrested on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offences after armed police stopped three vans in the early hours of Sunday.
Trump praises UK police response
Mr Trump praised the UK police response and suggested authorities already had the suspects under investigation. Using the American term for military sites – fort – to refer to RAF Fairford, which hosts USAF heavy bombers, he told reporters in the US: “It was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job.
“We had them under investigation. They, they were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great.
“It may have been Scotland Yard, I don’t know. We worked with a lot of them.
“We had them under view for a long time, and we got them. Thank you.”
Arrests and evacuation
Three “suspicious vehicles” travelling towards RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire were reported to police at about 12.45am on Sunday. The men were arrested by armed officers in the Whelford area under suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act. They were then further arrested under suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.
About 85 households have been evacuated from their homes near RAF Fairford, which is used by the United States Air Force (USAF). A major incident was declared by police and a large emergency services presence was seen in the area, including a Hazardous Area Response Team within a 400-metre cordon.
Resident’s account
A resident of Whelford told the Press Association she called police after she saw three vans “blocking the road”, before spotting a “large group of hooded and ‘balaclava’d’ men”. The resident, who asked not to be identified, said she was driving home in the early hours of Sunday morning when she saw 10 people in the road.
The resident said the RAF Fairford base was known by residents to be on lockdown due to a “terror threat”. She called 999 after discovering the men and said police arrived on the scene around 15 minutes later.
“They would have seen the bright headlights,” she said. “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. A plucky amateur shouldn’t be spotting an unusual bit of activity at 1am when the air base is on high alert. I think it’s absolutely astonishing.”
Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot inspecting three white vans, two of which had open rear doors. Large black barrels appeared to be scattered around.
