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Late-night drive, masked men and 999 call: How a woman farmer may have foiled UK terror plot
Half past one in the morning. An empty lane. Three abandoned vans. And then, masked men breaking from the shadows. One farmer's 999 call may have stopped an attack on RAF Fairford before it began.
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Half past one in the morning. An empty lane. Three abandoned vans. And then, masked men breaking from the shadows. One farmer's 999 call may have stopped an attack on RAF Fairford before it began.
6 min readSep 28, 2026 02:53 PM IST First published on: Sep 28, 2026 at 07:17 AM IST
Several suspects are arrested at gunpoint after explosives and chemicals were found in a van near RAF Fairford. (Photo: X/@DailyMail)
It was 1.30am on a country lane in Gloucestershire, and a farmer driving home from a party found her route blocked. Three white vans sat abandoned across the road, with nobody in sight. As she turned the car around, men in balaclavas broke from the scene and scattered, some into the fields, others through the trees towards RAF Fairford, an air base a few hundred metres away that the US uses to strike Iranian missile sites.
She did not stop. She drove off, called 999, and warned her neighbours on WhatsApp to lock their doors. Less than 25 minutes later, five men were sitting handcuffed in the road, surrounded by counter-terror police. By 8am, police had declared a major incident, 85 homes had been evacuated, and army bomb disposal teams were examining the vans behind a 400-metre cordon.
By Sunday evening the story had reached the top of government. Prime Minister Andy Burnham was being kept updated, US President Donald Trump was commenting on the arrests, and counter-terrorism police were asking whether Iran was behind a suspected attack on a base that sits at the centre of the war.
Explainer
RAF Fairford: Why this airbase matters
The Gloucestershire base where five men were arrested nearby on September 27, 2026, and why it is one of the most sensitive military sites in Britain.
Why it mattersWhere is it?Key factsAfter an arrest999 vs 101
RAF Fairford: Britain’s strategic airbase
Fairford, Gloucestershire
England, UK
Airfield code EGVA
How far from…
- London116 km
- Birmingham90 km
- Oxford37 km
Straight-line distances from the base. See the maps in “Where is it?”
The runway
Runway 093,046 m · ~10,000 ft27
Long enough for the heaviest bombers. It was also a designated emergency landing site for NASA’s Space Shuttle.
The US–UK connection
RAF stationUK Ministry of Defence site
US Air Forceruns day-to-day operations
It is the US Air Force’s only airfield in Europe for heavy bombers: B-52H, B-1B and B-2A deploy here on Bomber Task Force rotations. U-2S spy planes have been based here since 2019.
Home to major US military aircraft operations and international exercises
Where is RAF Fairford?
1 · UK → England → Gloucestershire
London116 kmOxford 37 kmBirmingham 90 kmSwindonCirencesterGloucesterRAF Fairford
2 · Around the base
FairfordKempsfordLechladeWhelfordincident area (approx.)RAF Fairford runway
The runway runs east–west between Fairford town and Kempsford. The shaded circle marks the Whelford area, where police say the arrests took place. It is approximate; suspects’ movements are not shown. Roads are not shown.
What police have said
At about 12:45 am on Sunday, September 27, police received a report of three suspicious vehicles travelling towards RAF Fairford. Armed officers arrested five men in the Whelford area on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act. A 400-metre cordon was set up and about 85 households were evacuated as a precaution. Counter Terrorism Policing is leading the investigation.
RAF FAIRFORD
Location
Near Fairford, Cotswold district, Gloucestershire, England
Operator
US Air Force (US Air Forces in Europe). It is an RAF-named station on UK Ministry of Defence land.
Role
Military airfield; the USAF’s forward base in Europe for heavy bombers
Opened
January 18, 1944, built for D-Day operations
Runway
3,046 m (09/27)
Known for
Strategic air operations and hosting major military aircraft: B-52, B-1 and B-2 bombers and U-2 reconnaissance planes
Notable event
Hosts the Royal International Air Tattoo every July, one of the world’s largest military airshows. The 2003 show drew a record 535 aircraft.
What happens after a suspected terror incident in the UK?
- 1Suspicious activity reportedA member of the public or an official raises the alarm, often by calling 999.
- 2Police responseLocal and armed officers attend. Cordons and evacuations may be put in place.
- 3Counter Terrorism Policing investigatesThe national CTP network takes the lead where terrorism may be involved.
- 4Arrests and searchesPeople can be arrested on suspicion of an offence. Homes, vehicles and devices are searched.
- 5Evidence assessmentForensics, bomb-disposal checks, digital evidence and interviews.
- 6Charging decisionThe Crown Prosecution Service decides whether there is enough evidence to charge.
- 7Court proceedingsA first appearance before magistrates, then trial, usually at a Crown Court.
Arrest≠Charge≠Conviction
Being arrested on suspicion is not a finding of guilt. The five men arrested near RAF Fairford had not been charged with any offence when police last updated.
The steps shown are the general process; the order and timing vary by case.
What is a 999 call?
999
The UK’s emergency number
Police
Fire
Ambulance
Coastguard
When to call: immediate danger, a crime in progress, or an emergency that needs an urgent response.
999
Emergency
Life at risk, crime happening now
101
Non-emergency police
Reporting a past crime, giving information, general queries
- 112 also connects to emergency services in the UK. It is India’s single emergency number too.
- Can’t speak? On a mobile, dial 999 and press 55 when prompted so the call is put through to police.
Sources: Gloucestershire Constabulary, Counter Terrorism Policing, US Air Force, Crown Prosecution Service, agencies. Maps: Natural Earth; ONS boundaries.
‘I am quite lucky’: The farmer’s account
Speaking to The Telegraph, the farmer, who has not been named for her own safety, said she has since thought about what could have happened had the men tried to stop her car.
She told the paper it was “pretty incredible” to have had a brush with potential terrorists face to face. She said the vans looked wrong from the first moment, and that the air base had been under a credible terror threat before that night.
🚨🇬🇧🇺🇸 The UK and U.S. have a local farmer to thank for alerting police to a potential terrorist attack…She was driving home from a party, when she spotted what appeared to be 3 abandoned white vans.They were blocking a country road.She turned her car around in confusion… pic.twitter.com/RjCEICtIYJ— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 27, 2026
One van carried the name “FUEL 2YOU” in red lettering with a Sheffield phone number. The Telegraph reported that the number was one digit short and did not connect when reporters called it, and that the company name returns no results on Google or Companies House. The real fuel delivery firm, Fuel2U, has said its name was used without its knowledge or permission and that it is helping the authorities.
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What have police said?
Five men were arrested first under explosives law and then on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2000. That allows police to hold them for up to 14 days without charge.
Vicki Evans, the senior national co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the inquiry is at an early stage with five men in custody. She said police are working closely with partners to understand what happened.
Police have not released the men’s nationalities or set out their lines of inquiry. A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that an Iran-linked motive is seen as the most likely, while a Russian sabotage plot and an Islamist plot are also being examined.
Did the US know about the plot?
Trump told reporters the men were “looking to do big damage” and that the US had them “under view for a long time,” calling the arrests “an amazing job”.
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That account is not matched by Whitehall. Sources told The Telegraph the arrests were not a planned operation and were not intelligence-led. Gloucestershire Police said it only learned the men were in the village of Whelford because of the farmer’s 999 call.
🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: President Trump CONFIRMS a group of terrorist were ARRESTED in the UK after they tried blowing up RAF Fairford Base — home to both US and UK troops"They were looking to do big damage to our fort…we had them under view for a long time. AND WE GOT 'EM." 👏🏻…— USA Report 🇺🇸 (@UsaReport07) September 28, 2026
Why is RAF Fairford a target?
RAF Fairford is a forward operating base for US forces in Europe. The UK government has allowed US bombers there to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites that have been hitting ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
In July, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Britain not to let US bombers fly from Fairford, saying any base used to launch attacks would be a legitimate target. Britain replied that its armed forces were ready to protect the country.
Local councillor Tristan Wilkinson told Reuters there was a specific threat from Iranians against the base about six weeks ago, and that surveillance in the area was increased at the time.
‘The real thing’: what experts say about the vans
Former Army bomb disposal officer Lucy Lewis told The Telegraph the scene had the hallmarks of a large attack. “It’s the real thing,” she said, pointing to black barrels seen beside the vans and saying such loads are often fertiliser-based.
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Dr Antonio Giustozzi of the Royal United Services Institute said the set-up looked like a multi-vehicle suicide attack, with one vehicle used to break through each ring of security. He said the attackers would have been unlikely to reach US jets given the base’s defences.
What has changed on the ground?
Armed police blocked the base on Sunday morning and large machinery stopped access. Locals said security had been raised in recent days, with heavy vehicles placed across the gates and civilian staff sent home on Friday.
Reuters witnesses said security was also stepped up at other bases used by the US, with armoured vehicles and soldiers at the gates of RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in eastern England. A US Air Force spokesperson declined to discuss specific protection measures but said US and UK-based units remain vigilant.
How did politicians react?
Burnham said on X that the incident would be “deeply concerning” for local residents and thanked the police and armed forces. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the public deserves to be told the truth about the suspects’ identities.
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A 400-metre cordon remained around the vans on Sunday evening, and residents of the evacuated homes, many of whom were moved to a leisure centre in Cirencester, were waiting to return. Gloucestershire Police thanked them for their patience.
Police have yet to say who the men are or what the vans carried. The five remain in custody.
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