US President Donald Trump has said a suspected terror plot against RAF Fairford, a 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.
The police operation near the village of Whelford in Gloucestershire was not intelligence-led, meaning investigators had not known about any potential plot in advance, the Press Association understands. However, Mr Trump praised the UK police response and suggested authorities already had the suspects under investigation.
Trump praises UK police response
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 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, then further arrested under suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.
A resident of Whelford told PA 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 when she saw 10 people in the road. She said the base was known by residents to be on lockdown due to a “terror threat”.
The resident called 999 after discovering the men and said police arrived 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.”
About 85 households have been evacuated from their homes near RAF Fairford and a major incident was declared by police within a 400-metre cordon. Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot inspecting three white vans, two of which had open rear doors, with large black barrels appearing to be scattered around.
Official response and context
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident was “deeply concerning” and the Government will “always take every step necessary” to protect people. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he would not comment on a live operation but had been in contact with Pete Hegseth, his US counterpart. Speaking at a fringe event at Labour conference, he said: “I don’t think it will come as a surprise to anyone that, given the importance of Fairford, not just to the United Kingdom but to the United States, we’ve been working closely with our American friends, and I’ve been in touch during the course of today with my counterpart Pete Hegseth.”
Asked if there was any Iranian involvement, he said: “I’m not going to comment on the underlying motivations of those who’ve been arrested today, or indeed the, sort of, the genesis of their activity, I think it’s far too early to comment or speculate, and it would be irresponsible for me to do so.”
Evacuated villagers may have to stay overnight while crews make the scene safe, Gloucestershire County Councillor Paul Hodgkinson confirmed to PA, calling the incident “destabilising”. Julian Tudsbery, who has lived in Whelford for 30 years, said a resident had reported three “suspicious vans” in the village in the early hours of Sunday. “Evidently, they phoned the airbase police, who didn’t answer the phone,” he said. “It just rang out so she dialled 999.”
Counter Terrorism Policing senior national co-ordinator, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, said: “We are in the early stages of an investigation and five men remain in custody. As you would expect, we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident. We continue to work with Gloucestershire Police to keep the community safe as we work to gather evidence from the scene.”
Suspects arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 can be detained for up to 14 days without charge, compared to the 24-hour limit for standard arrests without an extension application. 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. A recent 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. Support for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hayi were later banned in July by Sir Keir.
RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk confirmed it is on Charlie alert, the second-highest threat level that can be issued by the US Department of Defence. The confirmation to PA came amid reports that RAF Fairford has been raised to the highest threat level, Delta. A spokesperson for the USAF said its personnel based at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant”, but “for operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measures”. They said its 501st Combat Support Wing and UK counterparts “will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families”.
