- Five British men in their 20s from London have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences following an alleged foiled bomb plot near RAF Fairford, a Gloucestershire airbase used by US bombers.
- Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether Iran is linked to the suspected plot, with senior officers describing the incident as a complex, large-scale national security operation involving multiple agencies.
- Residents in the nearby village of Kempsford disclosed that armed officers advised them to stay indoors and leave the area on Saturday afternoon, hours before police were formally alerted.
- A local woman raised the alarm at 1.36am on Sunday after observing a suspicious group of hooded and masked men emerging from three vans, contacting 999 after receiving no response from Ministry of Defence police.
- Local residents described eerie conditions surrounding the airbase ahead of the incident, including unexpected music such as Billy Joel's Piano Man and the American National Anthem playing from the base shortly after midnight. Charlie Clements told The Independent: “It was really eerie – like something out of a horror film.”
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