Residents of the village of Whelford, near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, were evacuated from their homes on Sunday morning after police arrested five men on suspicion of explosives and terror-related offences. The arrests followed reports of suspicious vans in the village in the early hours.
Increased security at the base
Those living near RAF Fairford have been used to disturbance from protesters and a heavy police presence since the decision to allow the US air force to use the base for attacks on Iran. In recent weeks, residents have noticed dramatically increased security measures, with the gates of the base newly barricaded.
“In the prior few weeks they have put heavy, very heavy vehicles across all gates,” one person said. They described the vehicles as “very big tractors and things like that” parked behind gates into the base, adding: “So obviously they’re taking security seriously.” The resident said “great big concrete walls” had also been placed behind some gates, including on Dunfield Loop and Whelford Road.
Suspicious activity in Whelford
In the very early hours of Sunday morning, some in Whelford noticed suspicious activity around three vans parked there. The local WhatsApp group lit up with messages from people wondering what to do about the vehicles blocking a lane in the village. One resident, named Jason, who declined to give his surname, said they were first aware something was happening at about 1.30am, when people on the chat group started discussing the vans.
Julian Tudsbery, who has lived in Whelford for 30 years, said one person had reported three “suspicious vans” in the village in the early hours. “Evidently, they phoned the airbase police, who didn’t answer the phone,” he said. “It just rang out, so she dialled 999.”
One resident of Whelford said it was she who made the call. She described driving home in the early hours when she saw people in the road. She said she was immediately suspicious and called police after spotting three vans and a large group of men in hoods and balaclavas. She called 999 and said police arrived on the scene about 15 minutes later.
The resident, who asked not to be named, told the Press Association: “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 airbase is on high alert. I think it’s absolutely astonishing.”
Evacuation and police response
Police later confirmed that five men had been taken into custody on suspicion of explosives and terror-related offences. Residents were woken at 6am by police banging on their doors and telling them to leave immediately. People from 85 households were taken to a nearby leisure centre.
Tudsbery added: “[The police] were then banging on the door, so I went downstairs in my dressing gown. There were several police, three police cars in the drive, and they said you need to evacuate, there’s been a major incident, said he couldn’t elaborate.” Thirty emergency vehicles were seen in the village, with the army, a bomb squad and counter-terrorism police all investigating at the scene. Explosives experts were seen examining the three vans.
The RAF base has come to prominence since March and the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran. From the perimeter of the RAF base it has been possible to see heavy bombs being loaded on to American aircraft. Fairford has a particularly long runway, which extends almost 2 miles (3km). It is reinforced to support heavy bombers such as the B-1 and B-52, which have been deployed in attacks on Iran. The aircraft are capable of carrying large payloads, including “bunker buster” bombs.
Residents at leisure centre
Jason, 50, was evacuated to Cirencester leisure centre at 6am on Sunday with his family and 11-week-old puppy, Poppy, and friends who were visiting from London. “We went to bed,” he said. “It was early the next morning when the doorbell rang. It was the police, asking residents to evacuate as there had been a major incident.” Jason, who works in consulting, said earlier on Sunday there were about 40 to 50 people in the leisure centre, ranging from toddlers to elderly villagers, as well as a number of dogs. He said they had been given no more details than those released publicly by police.
The Fairford Youth Football Club, about 1.5 miles north-west of Whelford, was taken over as a temporary base for the emergency service response. There were several police vehicles, ambulances, fire engines, pop-up tents and a large mobile command-unit vehicle in the grounds. It was unclear when people would be able to return to their normal lives; those at the leisure centre said they had been asked by authorities if they had anywhere else to stay on Sunday night.
By Sunday afternoon, the cordon around the village had expanded so no one could get anywhere near it. Access to Whelford remained closed. With RAF Fairford located along one side of the road, a single police vehicle acted as a blockade against further passage into the village. Tudsbery said he hoped he could get home soon: he had left his cat, Misty, behind.
