The school incident occurred roughly two days after a separate security situation near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. According to a Metropolitan Police news release, police received a call at around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, September 27, concerning three suspicious vehicles that appeared to be traveling toward the air base.
Armed officers responded in the Whelford area, where five men were arrested. They were initially detained on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act before also being arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
The response was substantial. A 400-meter cordon was placed around the vehicles while the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit examined them.
Around 85 households were also evacuated as a precaution while authorities examined the scene. Counter Terrorism Policing said the investigation was in its early stages and asked the public not to speculate while officers gathered evidence.
The Raf Fairford Investigation Continued
The incident later produced additional details. The BBC reported that one of the five men had called 999 himself at 12:45 a.m., almost an hour before a farmer separately contacted police after seeing men in balaclavas. The farmer told the BBC it was “pure luck” that she had spotted the men after arriving home to find the road blocked and a large group of hooded and masked men.
The five men were later released on bail on Monday in what police described as an “investigative decision” that was “grounded in experience and strategy.”
Police said a quantity of petrol had been found during searches of the vans, but no explosive devices were found. The RAF Fairford incident therefore remained an ongoing investigation, with the police asking the public to rely on official information rather than speculation.
