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A counter-terrorism investigation is continuing around RAF Fairford in the English Cotswolds after five men were arrested near the airbase early on Sunday. Police describe it as a major incident, with bomb disposal teams checking vehicles and dozens of households evacuated from surrounding villages. Here is the situation as of Saturday, April 25, 2026.
Gloucestershire Police say they received a call at 12:45 a.m. local time about three suspicious vehicles heading toward RAF Fairford. Officers moved quickly and made five arrests near Whelford, a village about two miles south-east of the base. A specialist bomb disposal unit was then sent to inspect several vehicles.
A 400-metre cordon is still in place. Aerial photographs show what appears to be a remote-controlled robot approaching two white vans in a wooded area, though police have not officially confirmed that detail.
The five men were first held on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act. They were subsequently re-arrested on suspicion of the preparation of terrorist acts. Under the Terrorism Act 2000, they can be detained without charge for up to 14 days, far longer than the normal 24-hour limit for standard arrests. Nothing has been said publicly about their identities or where they are being held.
Counter Terrorism Policing is now leading the case. The BBC has reported that the operation was not intelligence-led. What triggered it was a direct emergency call from a member of the public.
A woman who lives in Whelford told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she drove home to find her road blocked and a group of hooded and masked men near three vans. She tried calling the Ministry of Defence police at RAF Fairford, but got no answer. She then dialled 999 at 1:36 a.m.
“Within 10 minutes the village was full of armed police,” she said. She believes her call stopped whatever the group intended to do. “I am absolutely staggered that it was left to me as a member of the public to see and report this,” she said. “Someone really dropped the ball on this.”
BBC Your Voice has received a photograph that appears to show the arrests. BBC Verify geolocated the image to Whelford, roughly 350 metres from a runway entry point at Crash Gate 6A at RAF Fairford. The photo could not be independently verified, but its location matches the area where police were working.
Another local man, who gave only his first name, Jeff, said he heard shouting outside his front door. When he looked out, he saw people being held by police. He could not tell exactly where the noise came from.
Eighty-five households have been evacuated from Whelford and the immediate surroundings. Residents were woken in the early hours and told to leave at once. Many ended up at a nearby leisure centre, some still in pyjamas.
Cotswold District Council said it would arrange overnight accommodation for anyone who could not stay with friends or relatives. Deputy Chief Executive David Stanley said the council was doing what it could to support displaced residents.
Jo, one resident who did not want to give a last name, told the BBC: “We just had to throw our clothes on and come. We didn’t know anything.” Another, Jason, said it all happened quickly and they packed whatever they could grab.
Police have since said residents will not be able to return home on Sunday night, and the large emergency presence will stay in place for several days.
RAF Fairford has a long history with the United States military. It was used by US Air Force Strategic Air Command during the Cold War, later served as a staging base in the 1991 Gulf War, and saw B-52 bombers launch raids on Iraq in 2003.
More recently, the base was used on March 1 for what were described as “defensive” strikes against Iranian targets. That followed a decision by the former UK prime minister to let US forces use British bases, including RAF Fairford, for military action in the Middle East.
The airfield sits in open countryside, about four miles south of the town of Fairford. Unlike larger permanent US bases, RAF Fairford has a lighter day-to-day footprint and is often described in military planning circles as a forward operating location. Its perimeter runs close to quiet roads and farmland, which makes it an obvious focus for security attention but also a difficult place to control entirely.
The latest incident has inevitably raised questions about how safe such installations are from outside interference. In this case, the alert did not come from military surveillance but from a local resident who spotted something unusual.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the situation “deeply concerning” and said the government would take every step necessary to protect the public. He asked people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the woman who raised the alarm and said she had done the right thing. But he cautioned that she had only a “partial picture” of events. He did not comment on possible Iranian involvement, saying it was not the time for speculation. He did add: “We know that Iran and their proxies wish to do us harm,” and defended defence investment as “a price worth paying” in a dangerous world.
The US military said it was working closely with UK authorities to monitor the situation, minimise impacts, and protect American personnel, their families, and the local community. President Donald Trump said those arrested were “looking to do big damage” and claimed authorities had been watching them for a long time.
Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth of Gloucestershire Police said the emergency response would continue for days. She declined to label the episode a “terrorist incident,” saying that was a decision for Counter Terrorism Policing. Asked whether police were searching for more suspects, she said she believed the matter was “contained.”
All five men remain in custody. No charges have yet been brought, and the legal clock for questioning them under terrorism powers is running.
For now, the main focus is still on Whelford and the area around Crash Gate 6A. Specialist officers are likely to remain there for days, carrying out forensic work and expanding their understanding of what the group planned.
The case has put a quiet corner of the Cotswolds at the centre of a national security operation. For the residents who were woken, bundled into cars, and sent to a leisure centre in the middle of the night, the memory of masked men and bomb-disposal robots will not fade quickly. The immediate concern is practical: when can they go home, and what will they find when they get there? Answering that will take time.
