Five men arrested as counter-terror police lead investigation into major incident near RAF Fairford
Police have confirmed that they've made five arrests after men were discovered with explosives close to an RAF base in Fairford this morning.
Gloucestershire Police Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone confirmed in a press conference this afternoon that the men were arrested on suspicion of Explosives Act offence, after reports of three suspicious vans travelling towards the RAF base.
They have since been further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.
It comes after villagers were evacuated from 85 homes near the base, which is used by the United States Air Force (USAF).
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Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans told a press conference that Counter Terrorism officers are in the 'early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody', according to the BBC.
She advised the department is 'working closely' with other teams in order to 'understand the circumstances of the incident', and added that they are working with 'Gloucestershire Police to keep the community safe as we work to gather evidence from the scene.'
A 400m cordon remains in place around the vehicles, and the Army's Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit is examining them, and Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone shared his thanks with the residents and added: "I would like to reassure them that we are working as quickly as we can to get them back into their properties,"
He added that 'the public can expect to see an emergency services presence in the area for some time'.
It has previously been revealed that the investigation into the incident was not intelligence-led, which means investigators had not known about any potential plot in advance.
The UK Secretary of State for Defence, Wes Streeting also insisted people should be 'reassured that this [incident] is being dealt with'.
Well-rehearsed plans
Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone confirmed: "The emergency services have well-rehearsed plans for dealing with major incidents," he adds.
He said some residents have been put up in a nearby leisure centre, and insisted police and authorities are 'working as quickly as possible' to get them home.
"We’d like to thank the residents who have left their homes this morning for their understanding and support."
“We would ask the public not to speculate but to follow official channels for updates," he adds.
It's been reported that Prime Minister Andy Burnham is receiving updates on the situation.
Police received a call at around 00:45 BST, reporting 'three suspicious vehicles' which had been spotted travelling towards the RAF base.
It comes after a local resident told the Press Association that there has been a lot of activity at the base in recent weeks.
The local woman, who says she has lived nearby for almost 50 years, said 'very heavy vehicles' had been put across all gates,.
She also reported that 'great big concrete walls' has also placed behind some gates.
Another resident described being awoken in the middle of the night, and told reporters: "We were asleep and they were just banging on our door.
“They said it was a critical incident and we’ve got to leave straight away, and they basically wouldn’t leave the doorstep until we left.
“We just had to throw our clothes on and come. We didn’t know anything, I didn’t even brush my teeth or nothing."
Jen Thomas