Police Were Already Watching the Men Arrested Near a US Air Base, UK Says
Britain's security services already knew about the men arrested over a suspected bomb plan aimed at RAF Fairford, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said.
Five men are being investigated after armed police found explosives in three vans parked a few minutes from the base in Gloucestershire. The arrests came after a report of strange vehicles heading toward RAF Fairford, which is used by the US Air Force for missions involving Iran, according to The Guardian.
Police were called early Sunday morning by a local woman driving near the base. She saw vans and men acting strangely and dialed 999. The caller, described as a farmer, later told the BBC about her call, according to BBC News.
Streeting thanked her but said she had a “partial picture” of the operation. He said this in a Sky News interview, according to the Financial Times. In the same interviews he said she acted “quickly and thoughtfully.” She disagrees. She has said officials “dropped the ball.” Streeting would not share details about what was known before or who the men are. He said police work is still ongoing.
US President Donald Trump also talked about early knowledge. He said the suspects had been watched for a long time and “were looking to do big damage.”
People in 85 homes in the village of Whelford had to leave and go to a leisure centre in Cirencester. Police put a 400-metre safety zone around the white vans while army robots checked them.
Counter Terrorism Policing, the national police team for terrorism cases, is now in charge, Gloucestershire Police said in an update titled “Counter Terrorism Policing leading investigation following Whelford arrests,” according to Gloucestershire Police. Five people were arrested overnight. On Monday police were still questioning them about explosives and terrorism, according to Reuters. They were first arrested for suspected explosives crimes. Later they were also arrested for suspected planning of terrorist acts, according to Reuters.
The broader context here is that two stories can both be partly true. Police may have been quietly following a group to learn more, like watching from afar before acting. Then a call from the public can force them to act faster to keep people safe.
What to watch next is what charges are brought. That will tell us if this is treated as holding explosives or planning an attack. Any new detail on prior watching will also affect how safety is judged at bases shared by the US and UK.
