A family playing cricket near RAF Fairford were ordered away by armed guards who warned them there was a 'live incident' - eight hours before five men were arrested over a suspected terror plot.
asserted
men → play → plot
The warning came at around 4.30pm last Saturday, as security at the US-linked airbase was heightened following intelligence suggesting an attack could be possible.
uncertain
attack → come → intelligence
The family had been playing near the perimeter when two armed guards suddenly ran towards the fence and told them to leave.
asserted
guards → play → them
One of the cricketers said: 'We'd played the evening before with no issue, but on Saturday two guards ran to the fence with guns and said: "You can't be here.
asserted
You → say → guns
The warning came more than eight hours before police received a 999 call about suspicious activity in nearby Whelford at 12.45am on Sunday.
asserted
police → come → Sunday
A woman returning to the village reported seeing masked men and three suspicious vans, prompting a major armed police operation around the Gloucestershire base.
asserted
woman → return → base
Five men, all British nationals in their twenties and from London, were subsequently arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and the preparation of a terrorist act.
asserted
men → arrest → act
Three white vans are investigated by a robot after the alleged plot near RAF Fairford last Sunday
Five men are arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire yesterday
The new account of the cricket match, revealed by The Sun, raises fresh questions about what was known at RAF Fairford in the hours before the police operation.
asserted
what → investigate → operation
Residents in nearby Dunfield also described hearing a public-address announcement inside the base on Saturday evening, followed by the apparent disappearance of staff.
asserted
Residents → describe → staff
One resident said: 'It's obvious the Americans, knew something way before us.
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Americans → say → us
But if it affects them, it affects us.
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it → affect → us
'We're frustrated and scared at the lack of correspondence from the base and UK authorities.'
asserted
We → frustrate → base
It is understood families connected to the base left during the emergency and have subsequently only been allowed to return to collect belongings.
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families → understand → belongings
The events unfolded against a backdrop of heightened security around RAF Fairford, which has been used by US forces in military operations against Iran.
asserted
which → unfold → Iran
The airbase was already considered a potential target amid the escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
asserted
airbase → consider → Washington
In the early hours of Sunday, the female farmer who raised the alarm told police she had seen masked men and three vans close to her home.
asserted
men → raise → home
Armed officers rushed to the scene and arrested the five suspects.
Counter Terrorism Policing later said the vehicles had undergone extensive examination with military and forensic support.
One of the three vans near RAF Fairford had 'Fuel 2You' printed on its exterior in red text - it is not thought to be associated with a real company
US Air Force bomberson the tarmac at RAF Fairford base in Fairford today
No improvised explosive devices were found, although a quantity of petrol was recovered.
One of the men involved is said to have called police himself.
The circumstances surrounding the men's intentions remain under investigation.
asserted
circumstances → rush → investigation
US President Donald Trump has previously said American authorities had been watching the suspects for 'a long time', while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested a foreign actor could have been involved.
uncertain
actor → say → State
British counter-terrorism chiefs have stressed that they are keeping an open mind and are examining every possible angle, including possible foreign-state involvement.
asserted
they → stress → involvement
All five men were released on police bail but remain under investigation and are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others.
asserted
men → release → others
The investigation then widened when a sixth suspect was arrested in Westminster on Thursday.
asserted
suspect → widen → Thursday
The 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national was held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, while two properties in the area were searched.
He was released on police bail yesterday, with Counter Terrorism Policing confirming that the investigation into the events near RAF Fairford remains ongoing.
asserted
investigation → hold → Fairford
Around 85 households in Whelford were evacuated during the initial police operation, while a large cordon was put in place as bomb disposal experts examined the three vans.
asserted
experts → evacuate → vans
Police have not established publicly whether the suspects were actually planning an attack on RAF Fairford, or what they intended to do with the petrol found in the vehicles.
asserted
they → establish → vehicles
The base had been on high alert after receiving intelligence suggesting that an attack was possible.
asserted
attack → receive → intelligence
The Aporia
