Petrol Found After Security Scare at RAF Fairford, Police Say

A security investigation at RAF Fairford in southwest England remained unsettled on Tuesday after police said they had found petrol, but no explosives, in vehicles examined near the base. The incident had prompted an evacuation of a nearby village and the declaration of a major incident, while five people arrested in connection with the inquiry were released on bail.

Police were alerted on Sunday after a resident reported several vans behaving suspiciously near the airbase. Officers responded to the concern and carried out searches, with the episode initially treated as a possible bomb plot. RAF Fairford is a facility used by the United States to launch strikes on Iran, adding to the attention surrounding the investigation.

Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said investigators had subjected the seized vehicles to extensive examination. He confirmed that no improvised explosive devices had been found, but said police had recovered a quantity of petrol. The statement clarified what had been discovered while leaving questions about the purpose of the fuel and the circumstances around the vans.

The five suspects, all described as London-based Britons, were arrested early on Sunday. They were held on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences, according to the account of the investigation. Their release on bail came on Monday, a day after the arrests, and has contributed to uncertainty about the case’s direction and what investigators believe may have happened.

The releases drew criticism from Washington, although no further detail about the criticism was provided. The contrast between the initial response—an evacuation, a major-incident declaration and arrests—and the subsequent confirmation that no explosive devices were found has fuelled questions about the nature and seriousness of the suspected threat.

Police have not disclosed why petrol was present in the vehicles, whether it was connected to any plan, or what evidence led to the arrests. The available details also do not specify the conditions attached to the suspects’ bail or when any further decisions in the case may be made. Their release does not, on its own, resolve the investigation or establish whether offences were committed.

The inquiry now continues against a more limited set of publicly confirmed facts: suspicious vans were reported near the base, five people were arrested and later bailed, and searches uncovered petrol but no improvised explosive devices. Investigators have not explained what prompted the original suspicion or outlined the next steps, leaving the central questions about the incident unanswered.