Defence Secretary acknowledges farmer’s vital tip on RAF Fairford incident while noting limited information

Wes Streeting thanks farmer who alerted police over suspected terror activity near RAF Fairford

The defence secretary, Wes Streeting, has spoken to the media from the Labour party conference this morning about the incident near RAF Fairford. He expressed gratitude for the vigilance of members of the public who helped alert emergency services to a suspected terrorist plot and singled out a local farmer for her swift action after she reported seeing “a large group of hooded and masked men” in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Streeting said he was thankful for the farmer’s quick and thoughtful response, adding that while her actions were exemplary, she only has a partial view of the events. He explained that this limited perspective is why he wishes to hold back further comment at this stage.

double quotation markThank you to that member of the public. She has done exactly what we would hope that someone in that extraordinary situation would do.

I’m really grateful to her – I think she acted, by her own admission, quickly and thoughtfully, and she did the right thing.

With respect, though, she does only have a partial picture. And that’s as far as I wish to go this morning.

Farmer’s detailed account of the night’s events

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the farmer described how she discovered three white vans blocking the driveway and road of her farm late on Saturday. After noticing plain‑clothed officers on previous days, she initially thought the vans were part of a routine operation. However, upon turning around and driving away, she saw a large group of hooded and masked men, some of whom fled into a field and toward the nearby village of Kempsford.

Realising the seriousness of the situation and concerned about a security threat to the airbase, she called the MoD police, received no answer, and then dialled 999 at 01:36 am. Within ten minutes armed police flooded the village. She believes the call foiled the suspects’ plans, though police did not evacuate the village until 06:00 am despite being aware of the vans.

double quotation markI was coming home late from a party. On reaching our farm, I found both the driveway and the road blocked by three white vans… We had noticed some activity from what I assumed were plain‑clothed police officers for the previous few days, so initially I thought perhaps this was more of the same.

I had no choice but to turn my vehicle around and return back the way I came. On driving a short distance from the vans, I saw a large group of hooded and masked men. When they saw me, they ran ahead of me, some into the field and some towards the neighbouring village of Kempsford.

I then realised that something highly unusual was taking place. In light of my awareness of a security threat to the base, I immediately called the MoD (Ministry of Defence) police, the phone rang out and they didn’t answer.

At 1.36am I called 999 to report what I had seen. Within 10 minutes, the village was full of armed police. I think it was pure luck that I arrived in the village at a similar time to the vans.

I am absolutely staggered that it was left to me, as a member of the public, to see and report this. The airbase were operating a roadblock close to the entrance to the base, but not on any of the other roads.

But we assumed someone would be monitoring the roads around the base perimeter and taking regular patrols in the village. Clearly, this was not happening, and I believe that my 999 call foiled whatever plans they had.

Even more surprising that, following my call at 1.36am, the police were aware of the presence of the three vans, but didn’t evacuate the village until 6am.

No one from the police has been in touch to ask me anything about it. I think they were hyper‑focused and vigilant about the base itself, and had absolutely no regard for our village.

The vans were within metres of houses, and those people were left unaware, apart from the fact that I sent a message to our village WhatsApp group, hoping that some people would be awake and could make sure their doors were locked… I’m just really keen to highlight that it appears someone really dropped the ball on this.

Police probe possible Iranian link to suspected bomb plot

Counter‑terrorism officers are investigating whether Iran is behind a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford, a facility used by the US military for Middle‑East operations. Five men were detained near the base early on Sunday. Initially held for explosives offences, they were later arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

Armed officers discovered explosives in three vans parked minutes from the airfield. The operation prompted the evacuation of dozens of households in the nearby Cotswolds village of Whelford, whose residents have yet to return home. The investigation remains ongoing, with inquiries focusing on potential foreign involvement and the full extent of the planned attack.

Source link