FIVE ARRESTED OVER SUSPECTED BOMB PLOT AT RAF FAIRFORD

Police arrested five men in Whelford, a village near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, on Sunday on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences, according to reports. The men are British nationals from London, the reports said. The village was shut off on Monday afternoon, with residents evacuated and dispersed to family, friends, hotels and a leisure centre. A local farmer said she alerted police after spotting vans blocking a road near the base. Iran said it "categorically rejects" any involvement in the matter, according to reports.

The farmer said she was driving home from a party with her husband and an employee when she saw vehicles parked in a "really strange formation" blocking the road and her farm drive. She said Whelford residents "notice everything" and know which vehicles belong to whom. One van bore unusual sign writing; she initially thought it belonged to undercover police. She tried calling a number printed on its side, but it did not work. After dropping off her employee, she and her husband turned back and saw a large group of men, which she reported to police, according to reports.

The farmer said she did not see herself as a hero for reporting the vehicles. She said she has had "no follow-up at all" from authorities since the arrests. She also responded to comments reportedly made by Wes Streeting, who was said to have suggested she did not have the "full picture" — a characterisation she rejected, reports said. No further details of the men's alleged plot, or confirmed next steps in the investigation, have been made public.