Suspect in RAF Fairford incident called police shortly before arrest

One of the suspects arrested over an alleged terror plot near RAF Fairford called the police in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to reports. 

Five men from London, aged between 23 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism after police received a call at 1.36am on Sunday from a farmer who discovered three vans blocking a road near the RAF base in Gloucestershire.

However, it has now emerged that one of the suspects had contacted authorities around an hour before, a development first reported by The Times.

All five men were subsequently released on bail on Monday.

Counter terror police said on Tuesday that no explosive devices had been found in the vans stopped near the base - which has been used in recent months by the US military to launch airstrikes against Iran - but that a quantity of petrol was recovered.

'They let them go'

Donald Trump said he was "surprised" that the suspects were released on bail, while US secretary of state Marco Rubio claimed the incident "clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor", without providing further details.

Responding to a question from Sky's US correspondent Mark Stone on Tuesday, Mr Trump said the incident at RAF Fairford was a long-standing investigation that Washington was "involved in".

The US president then appeared to once again question the decision to release the suspects, saying: "They let them go. Well, they didn't let them go, they put them out on bail.

"These were serious people - seriously bad people."

Counter terror police assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said that a police response was activated in the early hours of Sunday "due to a range of information that we received".

Mr Taylor insisted the suspects "remain under investigation" and "must adhere to very strict conditions".

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He added: "It's really important that you understand that the safety of the public is at the forefront of our investigative decision making, and this was certainly the case yesterday.

"Now I understand why this development was surprising to some, but I would like to reiterate that this is an investigative decision, and one which is grounded in experience and strategy."

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Iran denies involvement

Dozens of people living near the base were evacuated from their homes on Sunday morning, but have now been permitted to return to their properties.

Police cordons near the base are expected to be completely lifted on Wednesday, and searches of the homes of the five suspects are complete.

Mr Taylor said the incident has been worrying for lots of people, adding that this is "heightened by the international commentary that we are seeing".

Speculation over the possible involvement of Iran has been growing, with counter terrorism police saying "every possible angle" was being considered, including the use of proxies by a hostile state.

The Iranian embassy in London said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" what it described as "unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Tehran to the incident.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired an emergency COBRA meeting on Monday, with Defence Secretary Wes Streeting saying afterwards that it was "too early to make decisions around attribution".

(c) Sky News 2026: Suspect in RAF Fairford incident called police shortly before arrest