A late‑night drive by a woman farmer may have prevented a major terror attack near RAF Fairford, a UK airbase used by the US for strikes on Iran.
At 1:30 a.m., she encountered three abandoned white vans blocking a country lane. As she turned her car around, masked men in balaclavas emerged from the shadows, scattering into nearby fields and trees toward the airbase.
Realising the danger, she drove off immediately, dialled 999, and alerted neighbours via WhatsApp to lock their doors. Within 25 minutes, police arrested five suspects at gunpoint, recovering explosives and chemicals from one of the vans.
Authorities believe the men were plotting an attack on RAF Fairford, which plays a critical role in US operations in the Middle East. The farmer’s quick thinking and timely call enabled security forces to act before the suspects could advance their plan.
The arrests add a new dimension to the ongoing UK security crackdown on Iran‑linked plots, coming just days after heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. Investigators are now probing the suspects’ connections and whether the foiled attack was part of a wider network.
