One of the arrested men phoned 999 before arrests near RAF Fairford

One of the five men arrested near the Royal Air Force base at Fairford rang the emergency number himself shortly after midnight, police said, triggering a wider response that led to multiple detentions and searches.

Police say calls and sightings prompted arrests

Officers were called at 00:45 BST after one of the suspects dialled 999, nearly an hour before a local farmer also phoned the emergency line to report three vans and a group of men wearing hoods and masks close to the Gloucestershire base. The men were detained in the early hours of Sunday on suspicion of offences linked to explosives and later held on suspicion of terrorism-related offences.

Police searching the three vans reported finding quantities of petrol but said they did not discover explosive devices. The five men were released on bail on Monday in what the force described as "an investigative decision" "based on experience and strategy."

The farmer who alerted authorities said it was "pure luck" she had noticed the vehicles and people: when she returned home the road was blocked and she saw a large group of hooded and masked men.

The RAF station at Fairford in Gloucestershire has for decades served as a forward operating location used by the United States Air Force, and the incident prompted a significant security response around the base.

Police continue to investigate the circumstances of the vans, the reasons the suspect contacted emergency services, and whether any further action is required.

Photo: press material from the event