Five held under anti-terror laws as police declare major incident near Gloucestershire RAF base
Five men have been arrested on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offences after they were reported travelling towards an RAF base
Last updated 27th Sep 2026
Five men have been arrested on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offences after they were reported travelling towards an RAF base.
Three “suspicious vehicles” travelling towards RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire were reported to police at about 12.45am on Sunday.
Five men were arrested by armed officers in the Whelford area under suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act.
They were then further arrested under suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.
About 85 households have been evacuated from their homes near RAF Fairford, which is used by the United States Air Force (USAF).
A major incident was declared by police and a large emergency services presence was seen in the area, including a Hazardous Area Response Team within a 400-metre cordon.
Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot inspecting three white vans, two of which had open rear doors. Large black barrels appeared to be scattered around.
A Met statement said: “Counter Terrorism Policing can now confirm they are leading an investigation into an incident which took place overnight near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
“At around 12.45am today (Sunday 27 September), police received a call relating to three suspicious vehicles which appeared to be travelling towards the air base.
“Armed officers responded and five men were arrested in the Whelford area on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act. They were further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act.”
Counter Terrorism Policing senior national co-ordinator, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, said: “We are in the early stages of an investigation and five men remain in custody.
“As you would expect, we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident.
“We continue to work with Gloucestershire Police to keep the community safe as we work to gather evidence from the scene.”
Gloucestershire Constabulary said it was working as quickly as possible to get residents back to their homes after they were evacuated as part of the major incident declared in the area of RAF Fairford.
Gloucestershire Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone told reporters: “Work to establish the full nature of this incident is ongoing, and we are in constant communication with our partners, both locally and nationally. In particular, we are working closely with our partners in counter-terrorism policing.
“Gloucester Police’s focus at this time is on the local communities, and I’d like to thank the residents who have left their homes this morning for their understanding and support.
“We appreciate the disruption that this will have caused to both them and other local residents in the area, and would like to reassure them that we are working as quickly as we can to get them back into their properties.
“We would also please ask the public not to speculate, but to follow official channels for all updates.”
People evacuated from their homes near RAF Fairford may have to stay overnight as the emergency services make the scene safe, a local councillor has said, as he described the incident as “destabilising”.
Gloucestershire County Councillor Paul Hodgkinson told the Press Association the incident is “very different”.
“We’re not used to something where there’s a potential terrorist incident,” Mr Hodgkinson said.
“It’s not something we’ve encountered in Gloucestershire before in recent times, and so it is worrying.
“I mean, clearly it’s destabilising. Although that’s the whole point of terrorism, isn’t it? Is to destabilise. And clearly, we don’t know yet exactly what the circumstances are.”
He said it is possible residents will have to stay away from their homes overnight.
Asked whether there had been any more preparations to protect people living near Fairford amid global conflicts, Mr Hodgkinson said: “We are in a more heightened state of awareness around these things.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is receiving updates on the situation.