RAF Fairford: Suspect in alleged plot against British base called police before arrest, British media report
One of the suspects in the alleged plot to target a British air base used by the US military called police shortly before his arrest, several British media reported.
The five men were arrested early Sunday on suspicion of explosives offenses and later terrorism charges near a Royal Air Force base in Fairford, western England, from where U.S. B-1 bombers were flying missions against Iran.
The incident sparked a major security response in the region and sparked alarm on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as accusations of foreign involvement.
All five men were quickly released on bail and police confirmed no explosives were found in the three vans at the scene, but investigations continue.
The latest revelation that one of the men called the police, first reported by the Times of London, followed by the Guardian and the BBC, deepens the mystery.
The Times and the BBC both reported that the suspect’s call to 999, the emergency number used in Britain, came almost an hour before a farmer alerted authorities after seeing a group of masked men and three white vans.
The Times reported that police were already on the scene when the local resident’s subsequent call came in. The newspaper added that police were investigating whether the suspect was scared or whether such a call was part of the plan.
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CNN’s Nic Robertson describes how a local farmer’s vigilance led to the arrest of five men on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses at RAF air base Fairford, England.
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CNN’s Nic Robertson describes how a local farmer’s vigilance led to the arrest of five men on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses at RAF air base Fairford, England.
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CNN’s Nic Robertson describes how a local farmer’s vigilance led to the arrest of five men on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses at RAF air base Fairford, England.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=”this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)” onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1080″ width=”1920″/>
What we know about the five men arrested at Fairford Air Force Base on suspicion of terrorism offenses
CNN’s Nic Robertson describes how a local farmer’s vigilance led to the arrest of five men on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses at RAF air base Fairford, England.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=”this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)” onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1080″ width=”1920″ loading=”lazy”/>
In its latest public statements, British police have indicated that there may have been several triggers that prompted them to act.
“A police response was triggered early on Sunday morning due to a range of information received, including a call from a member of the public regarding several vehicles acting suspiciously in the vicinity of RAF Fairford,” Laurence Taylor, a senior counter-terrorism police officer, told reporters.
Taylor said “no improvised explosive devices were found” in the vehicles used by the men, but “a quantity of gasoline was recovered.”
Police plan to end their investigative operations in Fairford by Wednesday, he added.
The suspects, who were identified only as British nationals aged between 23 and 25 from the London area, were released on bail on Monday. Taylor defended the move as an “investigative decision” following criticism from US President Donald Trump, who said: “I wouldn’t have done that.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the alleged terrorist plot “clearly involved the hands of a foreign actor”, after Trump said the suspects “may be” linked to Iran.
Iran has strongly denied any involvement. The UK has yet to publicly confirm any foreign links, although Taylor previously said police were looking into the matter.
Trump suggested authorities were already investigating the group before the arrests – but British authorities have yet to confirm this.
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