Burnham has made an announcement.
RAF Fairford (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has said he will chair a Cobra meeting this afternoon on the suspected terror attack on RAF Fairford at the weekend. The Prime Minister told LBC at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool he wanted to get the “full picture” on what had happened at the base in Gloucestershire used by the British and US air forces.
Mr Burnham said: “I want to thank the police, the Gloucestershire Police, the security services, the emergency services, the public who alerted us, so thank you to everybody for the way that they’ve worked. What I can say is that I will chair a meeting of Cobra later this afternoon just to make sure we have the full picture, the full situation very clearly in our sights and so maybe we’ll say more about that later today.”
Andy Burnham says he will chair a Cobra meeting in response to the Fairford incident (Image: Getty)
Five suspects were arrested over a potential terror plot near the RAF base. Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said on Monday that all of them are British nationals aged in their 20s and from London.
The men were arrested in Whelford in the early hours of Sunday, initially on suspicion of explosives offences and later terrorism.
They were being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and officers had been granted an initial extension until later today to hold them in custody.
Those arrested are a 24-year-old from Camden, north London; three men aged 23, 24 and 25 from Westminster, central London, and one man aged 24 from Willesden, north-west London. They have since been released on bail.
A villager in Whelford called 999 after she saw three vans and a group of masked men near the base. Dozens of homes had to be evacuated as bomb disposal teams were called in.
Police are understood to be investigating if any potential plot could be linked to Iran, which has used proxies to carry out crimes on British soil in the past.
A major incident was declared (Image: Getty)
CTP said on Monday that multiple new lines of inquiry have emerged after investigators worked at the scene overnight.
Senior National Coordinator, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, said: “This is a hugely complex and large-scale operation, involving local and national policing, the MoD, and local agencies, who are working together to progress the investigation and support for the community.
“I know this has been incredibly disruptive for local people, but I’d like to reassure them that our activity is in the interest of national security, but most importantly in the interest of their own safety. I’d also like to thank the emergency services for their response, including the armed officers who first attended the scene, not knowing what they may face.
“I am very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident and the geopolitical questions that are being raised. However, I ask that at this time, Counter Terrorism Policing are given the space to work carefully and clearly.”
Gloucestershire Constabulary were initially alerted to three suspicious vans heading towards RAF Fairford at 12.45am on Sunday. It is unclear what action was taken in the hour that followed.
The farmer who spotted the vans and a group of masked men initially called the Ministry of Defence police but there was no answer, so she called 999 at 1.36am. Armed police arrived around 10 minutes later.
She said the police had “dropped the ball”, telling journalists: “Who knew that a farmer would have to roll their sleeves up and report the activity?”
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that the suspects were looking to “do big damage”.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said on Monday the UK must not be “cowed by sabre-rattling from Iran” or allow the country to “dictate our foreign policy” while stressing it was “too early to attribute background aims”.
It is understood the police operation was not intelligence-led, meaning investigators had not known about any potential plot in advance.
A pensioner living nearby described an apparent increase in Fairford’s security in recent weeks, saying heavy tractor-like vehicles had been parked and concrete walls laid behind the gates.
Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot spending hours inspecting three white vans, two of which had open rear doors. Large black barrels appeared to be scattered around.
Investigators will now be working to analyse any devices seized from those arrested to establish details of any plot and any potential motivation.
The arrests come amid heightened concerns around the threat from hostile states to the UK, with Russia and Iran among those that have used proxies to commit crimes on their behalf.
In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states including Iran had increased 50% in the six months to December 2025.
That same month, after then-prime minister Sir Keir Starmer granted permission for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases, four American bombers landed at RAF Fairford and the US started using British bases for “specific defensive operations”.