RECAP: What happened at RAF Fairford
On Sunday 27 September 2026, police stopped five men near a big air base in Gloucestershire.
The base is called RAF Fairford. The US Air Force uses it. American bombers fly from there to strike Iran.
No bomb went off. No one was hurt. The case is still open.
The night it started
It was just after midnight.
At 12:45am, police got a call. The caller said three vans were heading toward the base.
The BBC later said one of the five men who were arrested made that call. Police have not said why he called.
At 1:36am, a farmer called 999. She saw three vans parked in a strange way. She saw men in hoods and masks. They looked like they panicked when they saw her.
She had tried the base police first. No one answered. Armed police then filled the village within about ten minutes.
The arrests
Police arrested the five men in Whelford. That is a small village next to the base.
They are all British. They are all from London. They are aged 23 to 25.
At first, police held them over explosives laws. Later, counter-terror police also held them over preparing a terrorist act.
A photo showed the men sitting on the ground. They were shirtless and in handcuffs. Armed officers stood over them.
The village
Police called it a major incident.
About 85 homes were cleared. People went to a leisure centre.
A 400-metre cordon went around the vans. Army bomb experts checked the vehicles with a robot.
Some locals said they felt left in the dark. Some said extra barriers had gone up at the base in the days before.
What was in the vans
Experts checked the three vans.
They found no bombs. They found no improvised explosive devices.
They did find petrol.
Police also searched homes in London linked to the men.
Bail
On Monday 28 September, police let the five men go on bail.
Bail means they are still under investigation. They must follow strict rules on where they go and who they talk to.
The head of counter-terror policing, Laurence Taylor, said the choice was based on the evidence they had so far.
US President Donald Trump said he was surprised. He said he would not have released them.
What leaders said
Trump said the men had wanted to do “big damage” to the base. He said the US had been watching them. British reports say the police response that night was not planned from old intelligence. It followed the two phone calls.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a foreign state was involved. He did not show proof.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” that Iran played a part. He said more would come later.
Iran says this is not true. Iran denies any role.
A sixth arrest
On Thursday 1 October, police arrested a sixth man in Westminster, London.
He is 25. He is a dual UK-Iranian national. Police held him on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.
They searched two properties nearby.
The first five men are still on bail. No one has been charged.
