Politics
UK Police Release Terror Suspects On Bail Despite Plot Against US Base
Five men arrested near a major U.S.-operated air base in England on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act are being released on bail, even as British counterterrorism officials insist the investigation remains active.
The suspects, all British nationals from London in their 20s, were arrested early Sunday near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after police received a report of three suspicious vehicles appearing to travel toward the base.
RAF Fairford is owned by the United Kingdom but operated by the U.S. Air Force and has been used for American military missions in the Middle East.
The arrests immediately triggered a major security operation.
Armed police rushed to the area, dozens of nearby homes were evacuated and military bomb-disposal teams were called in to examine the vehicles.
The men were initially arrested on suspicion of explosives offenses before being further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.
Police also examined whether the incident had any connection to Iran, though no such link has been established and Iran has denied involvement.
🚨 WATCH: Counter Terror Police statement on the five men in the RAF Fairford case being released on bail
– They still remain under investigation
– This may be activity committed by proxies for a foreign state
– Suspects often commit these acts for financial gain pic.twitter.com/xmdzKc9D1t— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) September 28, 2026
Despite the seriousness of the initial response, the head of Britain’s Counter Terrorism Policing announced Monday that all five suspects would be released on bail under strict conditions.
Police stressed that the men have not been cleared and remain under investigation as detectives pursue multiple lines of inquiry.
The decision marks a dramatic shift from the scenes just one day earlier, when authorities declared a major incident and treated the area around the air base as a possible national security threat.
The investigation began after a member of the public reportedly spotted several vans and a group of masked men near the base during the early morning hours and called police.
Authorities said the vehicles appeared to be heading toward RAF Fairford shortly before armed officers moved in.
RELATED: NEW: Subtle Clues Hint At Iranian Involvement In Terror Plot Against US Base
The arrests prompted a 400-meter security cordon and the evacuation of roughly 85 households while explosive ordnance specialists inspected the vans.
Initial reports said investigators were examining suspicious materials discovered inside the vehicles, including items that raised concerns about possible improvised explosive devices.
British authorities have not publicly announced that any viable explosive device was recovered.
Counterterrorism officials have also declined to publicly identify a motive.
The suspects include a 24-year-old man from Camden, three men ages 23, 24 and 25 from Westminster, and a 24-year-old man from Willesden.
Their release on bail does not end the case.
Police said the suspects remain subject to stringent restrictions while detectives continue examining evidence, vehicle movements and any possible links to hostile-state activity.
The episode has generated intense scrutiny because of RAF Fairford’s strategic importance to the United States and its role in recent American military operations.
What began as an apparent high-level terror investigation involving armed police, evacuated families and bomb squads has now entered a far less clear phase, with all five men out of custody but still firmly under investigation.
