{"id":225881,"date":"2026-09-28T19:37:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T19:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/terror-suspects-arrested-near-british-air-base-used-by-u-s-released-on-bail-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T19:37:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T19:37:31","slug":"terror-suspects-arrested-near-british-air-base-used-by-u-s-released-on-bail-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/terror-suspects-arrested-near-british-air-base-used-by-u-s-released-on-bail-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Terror suspects arrested near British air base used by U.S. released on bail – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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LONDON \u2014 <\/strong> Police have arrested five British nationals in connection with a massive security operation near a base<\/a> used by the U.S. Air Force to facilitate strikes on Iran<\/a>, the counterterrorism officials running the operation said Monday.
The five men, all from London and in their early to mid-20s, were arrested Sunday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses after three suspicious vehicles were seen moving toward RAF Fairford, a royal air force station about 90 minutes west of London.
Dozens of homes were evacuated in the early morning and a large emergency presence was seen around the installation, shaking the normally quiet area in rural Cotswolds.
But after \u201cextensive interviews and inquiries,\u201d the head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, said Monday that they had been released on bail, adding that \u201cdoes not mean that the investigation is over.\u201d
\u201cThey are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others,\u201d he added.
Earlier, a local farmer recounted how she had seen a \u201clarge group of hooded and masked men\u201d early Sunday.
\u201cWhen they saw me they ran ahead of me \u2014 some into the field and some towards the neighboring village,\u201d the farmer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC News on Monday. \u201cI then realized that something highly unusual was taking place.\u201d
Asked if British authorities knew of the threat ahead of time or only became aware after being called by a concerned farmer as has been reported, Defense Minister Wes Streeting told broadcaster Sky News on Monday that the member of the public \u201cdid the right thing\u201d and acted quickly.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would chair a meeting of the government\u2019s COBRA emergency committee later Monday \u201cto make sure we have the full picture.\u201d
A grainy image has also emerged appearing to show the suspects.
The photo, which began circulating on social media Sunday morning, shows five men sitting on the ground shirtless and apparently handcuffed. They are flanked by armed officers.
The image was geolocated to near RAF Fairford by NBC News. NBC News could not locate the original source of the photo.
Another image showing three white vans near the air base has also circulated online.
Fuel2U, a U.K. fuel delivery company, said in a statement that a version of its logo appeared on one of the vehicles, adding that neither the vehicle nor any of the individuals involved has any connection to it.
\u201cWe are extremely concerned that our company\u2019s name has been used without our knowledge or permission,\u201d the statement said.
After the operation prompted questions about a possible link to Iran, the country\u2019s embassy in London denied the country was involved.
\u201cThe embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base,\u201d it said in a statement on X<\/a>.
In March, then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/a> gave permission for the U.S. to use its bases for \u201cspecific and limited defensive\u201d operations against Iran.
In July, Iran\u2019s \u2060Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Britain that \u201cany base used to facilitate aggression against Iranian territory is considered a legitimate target,\u201d Iran\u2019s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported, specifically citing bomber aircraft flights taking off from Fairford.
However, Taylor, the head of counterterrorism, said there was \u201csignificant interest in whether the current geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident.\u201d Investigators, he added, were \u201cconsidering this from every possible angle, including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.\u201d
Tristan Wilkinson, a member of the local council, told NBC News that a threat to the base from Iran earlier this summer had heightened the alert level in the community and led to a ramped-up police presence and increased security patrols.
Asked about a possible connection to Iran on Sunday, President Donald Trump told reporters: \u201cWe know all about them, and you\u2019ll be hearing about it very soon. We caught them.\u201d
Trump said in separate comments Sunday that the arrests were an \u201camazing job.\u201d
\u201cThey were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had them under view for a long time, and we got them.\u201d
Burnham urged people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.
Later, police said those evacuated could return to their homes and NBC News witnessed some residents driving through a cordon to go back to their homes in the village of Whelford.
Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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For YouSettings news AlertsThere are no new alerts at this timeLONDON \u2014 Police have arrested five British nationals in connection with a massive security operation near a base used by the U.S. Air Force to facilitate strikes on Iran, the counterterrorism officials running the operation said Monday.The five men, all from London and in their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":225882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-225881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}