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British police on Monday released five terrorism suspects on bail following their arrest on suspicion of involvement in a terror plot targeting a US air base in Britain over the weekend.
Counter-terrorism police chief Laurence Taylor confirmed investigations into the five men were ongoing, “including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state”. Meanwhile, the Iranian embassy in the UK has denied any links to the five men.
Sunday night’s arrests came after a local resident and farmer in Gloucestershire told the BBC she called police late in the evening after coming across three white vans blocking a road near RAF Fairford air base. As she turned around, she told the BBC her headlights illuminated a group of “hooded and masked men” who “panicked” after being spotted and ran into nearby woods.
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A B1 bomber at RAF Fairford on July 25, 2026 in Fairford, England. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has declared RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, a “legitimate target” after US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers used the British base to launch defensive bombing missions against Iranian military targets. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Authorities identified the five men as “British nationals” but gave no further details.
RAF Fairford is home to significant US Air Force assets and has been used as a launching point for several US operations in the war against Iran in recent months.
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Defense Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed that the local farmer had at least a “partial picture” of the incident.
“I want to thank the member of the public who acted quickly and called,” Streeting told the BBC.
Police at a road block on the road to RAF Fairford after a major incident was declared, with armed officers manning a cordon near the village of Whelford in Gloucestershire, close to RAF Fairford which is used by the US Air Force (USAF). Photo date: Sunday September 27, 2026. (Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)
“I would also just like to say, respectfully, that she has a partial picture. And I won’t go any further in terms of commenting on operational security issues,” he added.
The local, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC she was stunned it was her 999 call that “foiled all their plans”, adding she was surprised the base did not have greater surveillance and security.
The Iranian embassy vehemently denied any connection to the incident in a public statement on Monday.
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“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculation published by certain individuals and British media attempting to link Iran to the arrest of five suspects near the RAF Fairford base,” the embassy wrote on X.
The ground crew prepares to load munitions onto a U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber at RAF Fairford March 11, 2026, in Fairford, England. (Christophe Furlong/Getty Images)
“The circulation of such fabricated speculation, particularly in the wake of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobic propaganda in the United Kingdom,” the statement continued.
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“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, if necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and harmful media reports,” the statement added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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