RAF Fairford: family say armed guards told them to leave nearby area

Summary

Armed personnel instructed a family enjoying a game of cricket close to RAF Fairford to vacate the area after alerting them to a ‘live incident’ at the military site, according to an extraordinary account.

Details

The family were playing near the boundary of the Gloucestershire installation at approximately 4.30pm last Saturday when they say two armed personnel suddenly approached the fence and directed them to depart, the Daily Mail reported.

The purported warning occurred more than eight hours before authorities received a 999 call regarding suspicious activity in the neighbouring village of Whelford at approximately 12.45am on Sunday, which triggered a significant armed police response.

One member of the cricket party said the family had used the same spot the previous evening without incident, but maintained the circumstances were markedly different on Saturday. He told the Daily Mail: “We’d played the evening before with no issue, but on Saturday two guards ran to the fence with guns and said: ‘You can’t be here. There is a live incident going on.

It’s not safe,” reports the Mirror . Five men, all British nationals in their 20s and from London, were later detained on suspicion of explosives offences and preparing to commit a terrorist act. The family’s testimony prompts further questions about events unfolding at RAF Fairford during the hours preceding the police operation.

Local residents in the nearby hamlet of Dunfield also reported hearing a public-address system announcement within the base on Saturday evening. RAF Fairford has served as a base for US military operations concerning Iran, against a backdrop of mounting friction between Washington and Tehran.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a woman travelling back to the neighbouring village spotted masked individuals and three suspect vehicles near her property. Armed police responded swiftly to the location and detained five people. Counter Terrorism Policing subsequently confirmed the vehicles were subjected to thorough searches with assistance from military and forensic teams.

While no improvised explosive devices were discovered, a quantity of petrol was seized. It’s also believed one of the detained individuals contacted police directly. The exact nature and motivation behind the men’s actions continue to be investigated.

Report source: Gloucestershire Live