A real hero: Farmer’s call leads to five arrests in suspected RAF Fairford attack plot

A farmer driving home through Whelford in the early hours of Sunday noticed something out of place: three white vans blocking a village road less than a mile from RAF Fairford.

The lettering on one van looked suspicious to her, and its phone number appeared to be a digit short.

When she turned her car around, she said, men in masks or balaclavas ran into the trees and across nearby fields. She drove to safety, called 999 and sent a warning to her neighbours’ WhatsApp group: lock your doors.

“Thank God we spotted them,” the farmer said. She believes her headlights startled the men. “A plucky amateur shouldn’t be spotting an unusual bit of activity at 1am when the air base is on high alert,” she added.

Police subsequently arrested five men on suspicion of explosives offences. Bomb disposal specialists examined the vans with a robot, armed officers secured the area, and about 85 households were evacuated. Counter-terrorism officers are helping investigate the incident. Police said materials seized from the vehicles were being assessed to establish what they were and whether they could have been used in an attack.

The location has heightened concern: RAF Fairford is used by the US Air Force, including for operations involving Iran. Investigators have not established a motive or confirmed a link to Iran.

For the farmer, one question remains. “The worst thing is that we saw more than five people,” she said, referring to the number arrested. Gloucestershire Police’s temporary chief constable, Maggie Blyth, has indicated that officers are not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident. Police have said they believe the situation is contained.