US President Donald Trump has broken his silence on the five men arrested near RAF Fairford as he claims the the suspects were “under view for a long time” and were “looking to do big damage”
Donald Trump has claimed that the five men who were arrested over a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford today (September 27) were “under view for a long time”.
The men arrested over a suspected terror plot near the RAF Fairford base used by the US Air Force were “looking to do big damage”, US President said as he praised UK police response as “amazing”.
Three “suspicious vehicles” travelling towards RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire were reported to police at about 12.45am on Sunday. The men were arrested by armed officers in the Whelford area under suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act.
They were then further arrested under suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. About 85 households have been evacuated from their homes near RAF Fairford, which is used by the United States Air Force (USAF).
Trump told reporters in the US: “It was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation. They, they were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great.
“It may have been Scotland Yard, I don’t know. We worked with a lot of them. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them. Thank you.”
A major incident was declared by police and a large emergency services presence was seen in the area, including a Hazardous Area Response Team within a 400-metre cordon.
Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot inspecting three white vans, two of which had open rear doors. Large black barrels appeared to be scattered around.
Evacuated villagers may have to stay overnight while crews make the scene safe, Gloucestershire County Councillor Paul Hodgkinson confirmed to the Press Association, calling the incident “destabilising”.
Counter Terrorism Policing senior national co-ordinator, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, said: “We are in the early stages of an investigation and five men remain in custody.
“As you would expect, we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident. We continue to work with Gloucestershire Police to keep the community safe as we work to gather evidence from the scene.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is receiving updates on the situation.
Suspects arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 can be detained for up to 14 days without charge, compared to the 24-hour limit for standard arrests without an extension application.