It was not a usual morning for residents of Whelford village in Gloucestershire, southwest England, when around 30 emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances and fire engines, arrived in the area. Villagers were woken up by police and ordered to evacuate their homes. They were reportedly taken to a nearby leisure centre.
5. UK counter-terrorism police leading investigation
Police subsequently announced that five people had been arrested on suspicion of offences under the UK Explosives Act. Police have not confirmed any link between Sunday’s incident and the Iran-linked IRGC. A government spokesperson said, according to The Guardian: “The prime minister is being kept updated on the incident in Gloucestershire.
They were also arrested on suspicion of preparing to commit a terrorist act. However, the arrests on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act have raised questions about the nature of the incident. We are grateful to the emergency services, who have acted quickly to detain several suspects and put measures in place to keep the community safe. It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing. The initial call to police was made by villagers.
Cited by various news agencies, a “major incident” had taken place near the base and was later “contained”, according to Gloucestershire Police. Gloucestershire Police, according to Reuters, later said that five men had been arrested on suspicion of “preparation of a terrorist act”. Police also said they were working closely with partners in counter-terrorism policing and were trying to establish the full nature of the incident. “Counter Terrorism Policing can now confirm they are leading an investigation into an incident which took place overnight near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement, according to PTI.
The situation was subsequently assessed by emergency services, and the UK’s counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation after five men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offences near RAF Fairford on Sunday.
