Police identify five men arrested near RAF Fairford as London residents

Counter-terrorism police have identified the five men arrested near RAF Fairford as British nationals from London, all in their 20s, the Guardian reported on Monday. The update gives a clearer account of who is being held after an incident that prompted a large police operation and the evacuation of nearby homes. The men are suspected of explosives offences and preparing a terrorist act; those allegations have not been established in court.

Three of the men are 24, one is 25 and one is 23, according to the Guardian's account of the police update. Police gave their areas of residence as Westminster for three of the men, Camden for one and Willesden for one. Their names were not provided in the reviewed reports.

What police have said about custody

The Guardian reported that officers had secured an extension to hold the men until later on Monday, 28 September, and said they were being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. The report did not give the extension's precise expiry time or explain its legal basis. The Metropolitan Police statement issued on Sunday confirms the five were in custody then, but does not document Monday's extension.

Police have described the arrests as being on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and, subsequently, preparation of a terrorist act under section 5 of the Terrorism Act. No conclusion about what the men intended can be drawn from the arrests alone. The reviewed material does not include a response from representatives of the five men.

The operation near the air base

Police established a 400-metre cordon around the vehicles while an Army explosive ordnance disposal unit examined them. About 85 households were advised to evacuate as a precaution. Gloucestershire Police said a nearby leisure centre was opened for residents unable to stay with friends or family. Those steps were described as precautions during the examination, rather than findings about what the vehicles contained.

ABC News separately reported the arrests and the disruption to Whelford residents. Its account said evacuees were told they could not return home overnight on Sunday. It also said police had not disclosed the men's nationalities or possible motives at the time of that report. The nationality and London residence details came in the later police update reported by the Guardian.

The incident took place beside an air base used by the United States during its operations against Iran, according to both the Guardian and ABC. That setting has raised questions about a possible motive, but the reviewed police statement does not establish one. A defence minister quoted by ABC said it would be unwise to speculate about Iranian involvement. The location of the arrests, by itself, does not establish a connection.

What remains open

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Counter Terrorism Policing's senior national coordinator, said on Sunday that the investigation was in its early stages and officers were working with partners to understand the circumstances. Police said they were gathering evidence from the scene. The reviewed records do not establish whether any offence occurred or what, if anything, the men planned.

The effect on residents was immediate. Gloucestershire Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone said the cordon and emergency-services presence were precautionary and acknowledged the disruption to people who had left their homes. Sunday's statements do not establish whether every evacuated household had returned by Monday. The Guardian reported that a cordon was still in place on Monday and that police intended to review it later that day.

The next confirmed steps are the continuing police investigation and the reported review of the cordon. The Guardian's account places the custody extension only until later on Monday; the reviewed records do not supply a more exact deadline or a subsequent custody decision. Police have asked anyone with information that could assist the investigation to use the government's ACT reporting service or contact the Anti-Terrorist Hotline. The arrests and evacuation were also covered in NewsJaws' earlier report on the RAF Fairford operation.