Five men arrested on suspicion of terror offences near RAF Fairford on Sunday are released on bail, says the head of UK counter terrorism policing
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor says the investigation is not over, and police are considering numerous angles, including if proxies working on behalf of a foreign state could have been involved
The men – all UK nationals in their 20s who live in London – were arrested under the Explosives Act and on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act
Police say they are “very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident, and the geopolitical questions that are being raised”. The Iranian embassy in the UK denies any involvement
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says that the scene is safe and residents will soon be allowed to return home
Earlier, a farmer who called 999 when she saw “a large group of hooded and masked men” said she “foiled” their plans. People living nearby say security had been ramped up before the arrests
There is still quite a lot of concern about what those men were doing so close to the RAF base, which is used by the US military
