Updated

Updated · NBC News · Sep 30

U.K. Police Find No Explosives in 3 Vans Near RAF Fairford as 5 Suspects Get Bail

Updated

Updated · NBC News · Sep 30

U.K. Police Find No Explosives in 3 Vans Near RAF Fairford as 5 Suspects Get Bail

Q: What did police find in the three vans near RAF Fairford that kept a village under cordon for days?

Police have not publicly confirmed a definitive find from the three vans, but the strongest later reporting indicates no explosive material was ultimately found. That helps explain why the cordon stayed in place for days: officers initially treated the vehicles as a potential explosives and terrorism threat, brought in counter-terror detectives, military bomb-disposal teams and forensic specialists, and carried out what police described as an “extensive examination.” Early reports and some outlets cited suspected explosive devices or materials consistent with improvised devices, but those claims were not confirmed by police. By the time the five arrested men were released on bail, reporting said nothing had been discovered that justified further immediate police action, and it later emerged that no explosive material had been found in the vans. Police have continued to say the investigation remains active and that multiple lines of inquiry are being explored, including possible foreign-state links. So the best-supported answer is that police did not publicly reveal any confirmed bomb or explosives haul from the vans, and later reporting indicates they found no explosive material, despite the seriousness of the initial suspicions.

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Sep 30

British counterterrorism police said extensive searches of three vans near RAF Fairford found no improvised explosive devices, only a quantity of gasoline, after five British men in their 20s were arrested Sunday.
Laurence Taylor said the men were released on bail as an investigative decision and no charges have been filed, while searches of London properties and other strands of the inquiry continue.
Donald Trump criticized the bail decision, saying the U.S. had been involved in a long-running investigation and was working closely with British authorities on the case.
The arrests followed reports of three vehicles moving toward the U.S.-used base, which had been cited by Iran's Revolutionary Guard this summer as a potential target; Iran's embassy has denied involvement.