The five men are all British nationals aged 23 to 25 and London residents. They were arrested in the village of Whelford early Sunday after a farmer driving home from a party reported three white vans blocking a country road and masked men in balaclavas scattering toward the base, which hosts US B-1 and B-52 bombers used in strikes on Iran. They were first held under the Explosives Act, then further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, and around 85 households were evacuated while army bomb disposal teams examined the vans.
The finding of no explosives muddies US claims about the incident. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the plot clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor, while President Trump said the suspects were looking to do big damage, had been under surveillance for a long time and should not have been released, and suggested an Iranian link might be the case. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner questioned how the men could have been under surveillance if they were allowed to drive vans allegedly carrying explosives around Gloucestershire. Iran's embassy in London said it categorically rejects speculation linking it to the arrests, and police say they are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including that the men acted, knowingly or unknowingly, on behalf of a foreign state.