Five held in counter-terrorism inquiry near RAF Fairford

• Police received a call at about 00:45 BST about three suspicious vehicles apparently travelling towards RAF Fairford, Counter Terrorism Policing said.¹
• Armed officers arrested five men in Whelford on suspicion of Explosives Act offences. They were subsequently arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act under section 5 of the Terrorism Act; all five remained in custody at 14:02 BST.¹
• Army explosive ordnance disposal specialists were examining vehicles inside a 400-metre cordon. Around 85 households had been evacuated as a precaution.¹
• The Guardian reported that materials had been seized and were being assessed for danger and technical capability. Police had not publicly identified any materials or announced assessment results.²¹

Gloucestershire Constabulary declared a major incident in Whelford during the morning, and evacuees were directed to a nearby leisure centre. Resident Julian Tudsbury told the Press Association he was evacuated at about 07:00 and that a neighbour had reported three suspicious vans during the night.³⁴

Armed police blocked access to the air base, Reuters reported from the scene, where emergency vehicles were also present. The US Air Force said its personnel remained vigilant but declined to discuss specific force-protection measures. Gloucestershire Police said it believed the incident was contained, while the cordon and evacuations remained in place during the Army’s examinations.⁵³

Counter Terrorism Policing said the investigation was in its early stages. The Guardian reported that investigators were keeping an open mind about possible state sponsorship. It also reported that RAF Fairford has been used by US forces for operations against Iranian missile sites; neither that context nor the reported direction of travel establishes a motive, sponsorship or intended target.¹²

Footnotes

1. Counter Terrorism Policing update, 27 September 2026 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. The Guardian, “Counter-terrorism police investigate ‘major incident’ near RAF Fairford”, 27 September 2026 ↩ ↩²

3. Gloucestershire Constabulary, “Major incident declared in Whelford”, 27 September 2026 ↩ ↩²

4. The Independent, carrying Press Association reporting, 27 September 2026 ↩

5. Reuters, “Men arrested in major incident at UK air base used by US”, 27 September 2026 ↩