Five men were taken into custody near the village of Whelford, just outside RAF Fairford, on Sunday after Gloucestershire Police received a 999 call at 12:45 a.m. about three white vans moving toward the air base.
Armed officers cordoned the area with a 400‑metre perimeter, while an Army explosive‑ordnance disposal unit deployed a robot to inspect the vehicles. Residents of about 85 homes were evacuated as a precaution, and the base’s access points were reinforced with heavy vehicles and armed personnel.
Investigators are treating the case as a possible Iranian‑linked terrorist plot, a theory that aligns with Britain’s recent warnings about hostile activity tied to Iran. The operation follows a history of Iranian‑backed sabotage attempts across the UK, though no motive has yet been confirmed.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the police had only a “partial picture” of the incident, while President Donald Trump in Chicago remarked that the suspects had been under joint US‑British scrutiny for months and that the arrests were the result of shared intelligence.
The investigation remains active; authorities have not yet released any evidence from the vans and no formal charge has been announced. A court appearance is expected within the next fortnight, and further details will be disclosed as the probe progresses.