'Naive' to think we were safe in village near base, says farmer who foiled 'terror plot'
The farmer who foiled a “terrorist plot” near the RAF Fairford has described her shock when she realised “how serious” what she had stumbled upon was.
The farmer who raised the alarm over an alleged plot near RAF Fairford has told LBC she is “staggered” by the events which unfolded near her home.
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The local farmer said she was driving home in the early hours of Sunday when she found three white vans blocking the road near her farmyard in Welford.
She said the vehicles were parked in a way which prevented cars from driving either along the road or into the farmyard.
The farmer told LBC: “When you live in Welford, you notice everything.”
She said one of the vans had unusual signwriting and a phone number which did not work when she tried to call it.
After turning her car around, she said she saw a group of men near a crossroads, with many appearing to have their faces covered.
Read more: Five arrested over RAF base 'bomb plot' are all British men from London and aged in their 20s
“It’s really hard, it’s such a flash moment of seeing them, but there was definitely more than five,” she told LBC.
“We think maybe between eight and ten of them were there at that point, and a lot of them would have their faces covered.”
She said the group began to run after being caught in her car headlights, with some heading across a field and others moving towards a nearby village.
The farmer said she first tried calling the Ministry of Defence Police number used by residents, but received no answer. She then called 999 and alerted a local WhatsApp group, urging neighbours to ensure their doors were locked.
“Literally within five minutes of that, everything sort of kicked off and armed police arrived,” she said.
The men were arrested under the Explosives Act and were later further arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.
The farmer said she had not “processed” the implications of the incident.
“I’m really glad that they ran away and that my involvement ended with the 999 call,” she told LBC.
She added: “I’m just a farmer who happened to live there… I was trying to go mind my own business.”
The farmer said she wanted authorities to provide a clearer account of what happened.
“I think there needs to be an acknowledgement about what actually did happen and what the sequence of events are, because that’s the only way anyone can learn how to manage it going forward.”
The five men arrested over the suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford are all British nationals from London and aged in their 20s, Counter Terrorism Policing said.
Detectives are investigating whether Iran is linked to the foiled bomb plot. No motive has yet been established for any potential plot near the base, which is used by the US military.
If a vehicle bomb plot were linked to supporters of the Iranian regime, it would mark an escalation since a spate of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London earlier this year.
US President Donald Trump said the group, detained in the nearby Gloucestershire village of Whelford, in the early hours of Sunday, were “looking to do big damage”.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the UK must not be “cowed by sabre-rattling from Iran” or allow the country to “dictate our foreign policy” while stressing it was “too early to attribute background aims” over the plot.
The police operation was not intelligence-led, meaning investigators had not known about any potential plot in advance, it is understood.
A resident dialled 999 after spotting the vehicles “blocking the road” before seeing a “large group of hooded and ‘balaclava’d’ men”.
The Whelford resident said “they would have seen the bright headlights” and “they probably thought we were the police (and) panicked”.
She said: “It would appear that by doing so I just derailed whatever they were planning.”
Officers arrived on the scene about 15 minutes after she raised the alarm.
Residents had at the time understood the base was on lockdown because of a “terror threat”, the woman added.
“A plucky amateur shouldn’t be spotting an unusual bit of activity at 1am when the air base is on high alert,” she said.
“I think it’s absolutely astonishing.”
Gloucestershire Constabulary said it received reports of the suspicious vehicles travelling to the base at about 12.45am on Sunday.
Officers arrested the men under the Explosives Act and they were later further arrested under suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.
Suspects detained under the Terrorism Act 2000 can be held for up to 14 days without charge, compared to the 24-hour limit for standard arrests without an extension application.
Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot spending hours inspecting three white vans, two of which had open rear doors. Large black barrels appeared to be scattered around.
A 400-metre cordon was erected and 85 evacuated households were unable to return home overnight. Cotswold District Council was seeking accommodation for some.
The Army’s ordnance disposal unit was still examining the vehicles in the cordon by the evening, Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, from Bedfordshire Constabulary, told a press conference.
Agencies “believe the matter to be contained”, she later added.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident was “deeply concerning” and the Government would “always take every step necessary” to protect people.
Investigators will now be working to analyse any devices seized from those arrested to establish details of any plot and any potential motivation.
The arrests come amid heightened concerns around the threat from hostile states to the UK, with Russia and Iran among those that have used proxies to commit crimes on their behalf on British soil.
In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states including Iran increased 50% in the six months to December 2025.
That same month, after then prime minister Sir Keir Starmer granted permission for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases, four American bombers landed at RAF Fairford and the US started using British bases for “specific defensive operations”.
Separately, a spate of antisemitic attacks on Jewish sites in London this year were claimed by a group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (Hayi), which is thought to be backed by Iran.
Support for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hayi was banned in July by Sir Keir.
Under the state threat powers, anyone supporting or assisting the groups will face a maximum punishment of 14 years in prison, but ministers will need parliamentary approval first.
The Fairford incident also took place against the backdrop of ongoing war between the US and Iran.
RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk confirmed it was on Charlie alert, which is the second-highest threat level that can be issued by the US Department of Defence.
A spokesperson for the USAF said its personnel based at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant”, but “for operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measures”.
They said its 501st Combat Support Wing and UK counterparts “will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families”.
The 501st is “the only combat support wing in the USAF” and operates from 10 bases including Fairford, according to its website.
Mr Trump praised the UK response and suggested authorities already had the suspects under investigation, despite others’ claims to the contrary.
Using the American term for military sites – fort – to refer to RAF Fairford, which hosts USAF heavy bombers, he told reporters in the US: “They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great.”
He added: “We had them under view for a long time, and we got them. Thank you.”