A major terror attack on an RAF base was foiled at the last minute by a suspicious farmer.
In a suspected Iranian plot, five men in three vans packed with explosives were stopped 350 yards from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire early yesterday. American forces have used the base to launch air strikes against the regime in Tehran.
As counter–terror police swooped after the farmer's 999 call and arrested the men, US President Donald Trump said: 'They were looking to do big damage to our fort.'
Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned in July that any base used in air strikes was a legitimate target. Iranian ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi said the decision to allow American bombers to launch from Fairford had become an 'important matter for our self–defence'.
Police evacuated 85 households around the base, which is the US Air Force's command outpost for Europe, fearing the three vehicles loaded with barrels of suspicious material could explode.
Yesterday the Army's specialist explosive ordnance disposal team spent hours examining the three vehicles.
Mr Trump praised the police, telling reporters in the US: 'It was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great.
'It may have been Scotland Yard, I don't know. We worked with a lot of them. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.'
Five men were pictured shirtless near RAF Fairford after being arrested on Sunday morning under the Explosives Act
Three white vans have been probed by a wheeled robot attached to the bomb squad after five men were arrested following a 'foiled terror plot' on RAF Fairford (pictured)
But suggestions that UK authorities had advance notice of the plot were dismissed last night as Whitehall sources confirmed the arrests were not pre–planned.
Police were alerted by chance after a farmer living in the nearby village of Whelford noticed three vans blocking a quiet country road surrounding the base as she drove home from a party in the early hours.
Confused, she turned her car around. As she did so, she saw 'Middle Eastern–looking' men in balaclavas and hooded tops scattering into the trees and across the fields towards the base.
The quick–thinking hero accelerated away and called the police at 12.45am, before messaging her local WhatsApp group, warning people to lock their doors.
Police were on the scene within 15 minutes, arresting the five men minutes later.
The farmer believes the chance encounter spooked the gang.
'They would have seen the bright headlights,' she said. 'They probably thought we were the police (and) panicked.'
She added: 'It would appear that by doing so I just derailed whatever they were planning.'
She said the vans looked suspicious because a phone number and lettering on them appeared to be fake. Fuel2U, a fuel delivery company in Beaconsfield, said the vans had no relation to their company.
In chilling footage captured by locals, the suspects were held at gunpoint by armed officers. Sitting in the middle of the road with their hands secured behind their back, the men were bare–chested after officers stripped their upper clothing fearing they may be wearing suicide vests.
The suspects were initially held on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act, before being arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
Armed officers evacuated residents to a leisure centre, hurrying children and the elderly in their pyjamas to safety in case the bombs went off. Late last night, the residents had not been allowed to return home.
Gloucestershire police shut down key roads into Whelford and the RAF base. Locals said yesterday that security around the air base had been ramped up in the past week.
Tristan Wilkinson, the Cotswold district councillor for Lechlade, Kempsford and Fairford South, said: 'I think the one thing we can say is that if you look around the base, they've put heavy machinery in place.
'That's unusual. That tells me that the base was on a heightened level of security.'
The investigation was last night described as being in the early stages, with police understood to be keeping an open mind.
Armed police around the village of Whelford, near RAF Fairford on Sunday morning
The robot was captured travelling down a deserted road before it probed three white vans
A B-1B Lancer bomber pictured at the air base, which has been used to mount US strikes against Iran since the US-led war began
They are exploring the possible involvement of other hostile states such as Russia or Islamist terrorism. Groups such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State have inspired British terrorists to plot attacks on UK military bases.
But the link with Iran last night prompted criticism of Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who was pictured last week shaking hands with the regime's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in New York.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Tom Tugendhat said: 'The Iranian regime has done nothing to justify any senior British minister meeting their envoys.
'They are murdering protesters, threatening our allies and arming terror groups, including the Houthis, as well as threatening communities in the UK. Shaking hands gives them a credibility they have failed to achieve through violence.'
Vicki Evans, senior national co–ordinator at Counter Terrorism Policing, 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.'
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: 'I would like to thank the emergency services for their swift response to the major incident in Gloucestershire this morning and their reassurance that they believe the incident is contained.'
Prime Minister Andy Burnham added: 'The safety and security of the public is our first priority, and I want people to know that we will always take every step necessary to protect our communities and keep our country safe.'