Farmer who raised alarm at Fairford airbase says civilian staff had been withdrawn

A farmer alerted police to suspicious activity at RAF Fairford, a UK airbase under investigation for potential terrorist planning, days before masked men were seen near the base. The farmer, returning from a party, spotted "three suspicious vans" heading towards the airbase and immediately called police, who arrived within 10 minutes and were met by a large presence of armed officers.

The US Air Force operates the base, which has been used for launching attacks on Iran since March. US President Donald Trump suggested that authorities had been monitoring the suspects for a long time. Five men have been arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act and explosive offenses, with one line of investigation pointing to possible Iranian involvement.

The farmer noted that "civilian staff had been withdrawn" from the base, and she believed her call may have prevented the planned attack. Counterterrorism experts suggest that the attack would likely have used a vehicle bomb or drones, similar to a previous "spider's web" operation against Russian bombers in Ukraine. The IRGC is considered a primary suspect due to the base's use in attacking Iran, but Russia and other organizations are also considered possible suspects due to the close relationship between the countries.