At 12:45 a.m. Sunday, a local farmer near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England spotted three white vans creeping toward the American airbase. He saw what he described as "hooded and masked men" who, when they realized they'd been noticed, "panicked" and "scrambled into a nearby woods." He called the police. What they found in and around those vans prompted a bomb disposal robot, a 400-meter security cordon, and the evacuation of approximately 85 households.
Twenty-four hours later, all five suspects walked out on bail.
RAF Fairford isn't some dusty reserve airstrip. It's home to the U.S. Air Force's 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron. American B-1 bombers have been flying missions against Iranian missile sites from this base. Five men, ages 23 to 25, were arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act and offenses under the Explosives Act after being found near three vans that, based on the response — a bomb disposal robot, controlled detonations, an army examination team — contained something considerably more dangerous than groceries.
The five are all described as UK nationals. One is a 24-year-old from Camden in north London. Three are aged 23, 24, and 25 from Westminster in central London. One is a 24-year-old from Willesden in northwest London. Under the Terrorism Act 2000, British police can hold terror suspects for up to 14 days without charge. They used roughly one.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, announced the bail release Monday and offered this reassurance: "To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others."
Stringent conditions. For five men allegedly caught with explosive materials near a base launching American bombers at Iran.
Taylor acknowledged the investigation is exploring whether the plot was "actively committed by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state." He added that the suspects "absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry." So they believe this might be a state-sponsored attack on a US military installation on British soil, and the suspects are sleeping in their own beds tonight.
Defense Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the civilian who called it in. "I do want to thank the member of the public who acted quickly and called this in," Streeting said, adding that law enforcement "has a partial picture" and he wouldn't comment further on "operational security matters." Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged the public not to speculate.
The Iranian Embassy in London issued a statement that read like it was drafted before the arrests happened. Iran "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Tehran to the plot. The embassy called the accusations "Iranophobia propaganda." This from the regime whose Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had previously threatened the very base that was targeted.
President Trump, for his part, said investigators "had them under view for a long time" — a detail the British government has not confirmed or denied, which tells you something by itself.