Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has accused the government of "weakness" on national security following the incident at RAF Fairford.

Farage has acknowledged that security forces have been on the case for some time because they have been "fearful" of an attack.

But he tells the BBC that the underlying problem is that "we have allowed into Britain cells of people who intend to do us harm".

He says we must take national security far more seriously.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Counter Terrorism Police have been giving more details about the five men arrested near RAF Fairford on Sunday morning.

The five are all UK nationals and they are being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (Pace), police say.

They are a 24-year-old from Camden, north London, three men aged 23, 24 and 25 from Westminster, and one aged 24 from Willesden, north-west London.

Villagers have been speaking to the BBC about what was happening around RAF Fairford in the days leading up to the arrests on Sunday.

Here's a reminder of what they said:

• On Friday morning at about 05:30 BST, one villager reported seeing a man wearing a backpack jumping out of some bushes near the airbase
• The next day at about 17:00 BST another villager out walking their dog said they were told by armed police to return home and stay indoors
• A third resident said some local people were told to go home by armed police just hours before the suspects were arrested

Although Whitehall sources have told the BBC the operation at RAF Fairford was not "intelligence-led", these accounts from local residents suggest that authorities might have been anticipating something happening at the base before Sunday's arrests.

Mapping key moments in RAF Fairford incidentpublished at 13:05 BST 28 September

13:05 BST 28 September

By Benedict Garman and Charlotte Green

After a major incident near RAF Fairford was declared by police on Sunday, BBC Verify began geolocating images and videos from the scene, mapping key locations to help understand what was happening and where.

We first plotted where police had put roadblocks in place on three routes leading into the village of Whelford. This helped us narrow down where the main areas of police activity were focused.

The police said a 400m cordon had been put in place around three suspicious vehicles - which matched the position of the roadblocks.

We also verified a photo showing five men sitting in the road who had apparently been detained by police.

A hedge, signpost and telephone box cross-referenced against Google Street View placed them in a road about 350m from one of the runway access gates at RAF Fairford.

Another image showed two bomb disposal lorries which we matched to a spot roughly 300m away from the runway gate. Street View also helped place the location of a security camera image showing the three white vans.

Later, live helicopter video from the scene revealed where the bomb disposal teams were operating.

Graphic by Tom Shiel

Image source, Supplied

Emma Hallett
Reporting from the scene

We can bring you more from the local farmer who called 999 when she saw a group of "hooded and masked men" lingering near the treeline in the RAF Fairford area.

The farmer, who has been speaking to the media about what unfolded in the early hours of Sunday, says she had been out at a party “much later” than she would usually be out.

She says she noticed three vans were parked in a “weird formation” in a “loop” in the village of Whelford.

“When you live in Whelford, you notice everything,” she says, adding that all the villagers know each other, including what cars they drive.

She describes the vans as having “strange signage” on them.

“I looked at it and thought ‘that is not real’,” she says.

She stopped and looked at the vans as well as trying to call the phone number of the side of the van – which did not work.

As she turned around she says she saw a “large group” of men who then started to “panic”.

She says she thought she had “dazzled them”.

The woman says the men were all wearing similar clothing and they had their faces covered.

She then called the MoD Police and base liaison number.

“The phone rang and rang and rang,” she says, so she phoned 999 and let people in the village know what was happening.

“Literally within five minutes it all kicked off," she adds. "There were armed police, a helicopter.”

Emma Hallett
Reporting from the scene

Image source, Reuters

A farmer who says she called 999 sparking the police response to the incident at RAF Fairford says she is “100% certain” she saw between eight and 10 people who fled into trees when they spotted her.

The local resident told the BBC earlier she had seen three white vans blocking a road and "a large group of hooded and masked men".

The woman adds she could tell they “weren't locals”, but that was because of their behaviour “more than how they looked”, saying they had their faces covered.

Reflecting on the fact that five people have been arrested, she says this is something that continues to concern her.

The woman also says she is surprised she has not yet been contacted by anyone in an official capacity about what she saw.

CTP Senior National Coordinator, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans also addresses possible motives behind yesterday's incident, saying that officers investigating it should be given the space to "work carefully and clearly".

"I am very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident, and the geopolitical questions that are being raised," she says.

"However, I ask that at this time, Counter Terrorism Policing are given the space to work carefully and clearly.”

In the update, CTP adds that the five suspects - who are all UK nationals - are being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (Pace).

The investigation into establishing "circumstances of the activity of those arrested, their knowledge and any motivation behind this incident" remains ongoing, the force says.

Counter Terrorism Policing Senior National Coordinator, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans says: "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."

We've just received an update from Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) on yesterday's incident at RAF Fairford.

CTP says the five people arrested are all male in their early to mid-20s. All five are UK nationals from London.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner has been speaking to BBC News about the role of RAF Fairford as one of a number of "forward operating" bases used by the US Air Force.

“It’s incredibly useful strategically for the US to have this platform,” he says.

When the US decided to attack Iran in February, a request went in to use British bases for this - with the initial answer being no.

"The prime minister at the time, Keir Starmer, then partially relented and said, 'Well OK, you can use them for defensive purposes, you can use our bases to hit Iranian missile and drone sites that are attacking our Gulf allies but that’s all. We don’t want them used to bomb targets further inside Iran'.

"But in July, Iran said anybody who allows their bases to be used to attack us will make themselves a target," he says.

"That’s why most people are saying, surely Iran must be behind this, rather than say, Russia or jihadists."

Fiona Lamdin
Home affairs correspondent, BBC West

One of the main question still seems to be around the sequence and the timing of the events. Who knew what when?

I’ve spoken to US Air Force this morning and asked when exactly the threat level and extra barriers went up.

But when you read the message from the anonymous neighbour who had been aware of the diggers barricading the crash gates for days well before the farmer called 999, coupled with Defence Secretary Wes Streeting’s comments, it certainly seems to suggest much more was known before the farmer made the call in the early hours of Sunday morning.

We are hopeful of getting answers from USAF soon.

Image source, Reuters

The major incident began in the early hours of Sunday.

00:45 Gloucestershire police says it received the first call - a report of three "suspicious vehicles" near the base.

01:36 A farmer phones police after spotting "a large group of hooded and masked men".

About 07:00 Residents in the nearby village of Whelford are moved out of their homes for safety.

08:18 A "major incident" is declared and several men are arrested on suspicion of explosives offences.

11:33 Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirms the incident has been "contained."

14:15 Counter Terrorism Police, who are leading the investigation, say that five men remain in custody. A local leisure centre is made available for about 85 households who've had to leave their homes.

Steve Knibbs
Reporting from the scene

Around five days before the major incident was declared at RAF Fairford, residents recall security had ramped up around the perimeter, including extra concrete barriers and large trucks blocking the entrance.

On Saturday evening, at about 17:00 BST, one villager told us they were walking their dog through the area when they were stopped by armed police and told to return home, and stay indoors.

It suggests a sense of heightened alert and unease around the airbase in the days and hours leading up to the incident, with security measures already noticeably more visible than usual.

Edward Rowe
Reporting from the scene

People evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night were taken to Cirencester Leisure Centre on Sunday, which was set up as an emergency rest centre roughly 10 miles (16km) from RAF Fairford.

They are now being relocated to Cotswold District Council's chambers on Trinity Road, just a short three-minute drive away from the leisure centre.

With 85 properties located within the cordon, it remains unclear when people will be allowed to return home. Until then, the council says those displaced by the major incident are being "well looked after".

Matty Edwards
Live page reporter

A man who lives next to the perimeter of RAF Fairford has told the BBC that local people were sent home by armed police just hours before the suspects were arrested.

The Kempsford resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, says neighbours walking along the perimeter on Saturday afternoon were told to return home and close their doors and windows.

This comes after large vehicles were parked behind the gates of the base on Wednesday, prompting residents to email the base's community liaison officer to ask what was going on.

Image source, Supplied

"The response was lacking," says the man. "It wasn't very helpful.

“The communication we got from the base throughout this whole thing has been really poor.

"There’s a real sense that we’re the lowest priority they have," he says.

“It feels frustrating when you see things about them not knowing anything about it because what we've seen for the past week suggests they did know something was happening and it was escalating in the hours before the arrests."

He says people living nearby are feeling "tense and uneasy" but the community is "coming together" during this difficult time.

Bea Swallow
Live page reporter

Evacuated residents have spent the night anxiously waiting for updates on when they will be allowed to return home.

Those who could not stay with family or friends were put up in hotels across Swindon and Cirencester by Cotswold District Council and they are returning to the leisure centre this morning.

Councillor Paul Hodgkinson says that despite the disruption, residents were being "very well looked after, fed and watered" and, overall, seemed "in pretty good form".

He says: "What we're all waiting for is clarity from the police as to when those residents can go back to their homes.

"At the moment, we don't have a time on that.

"But honestly, if it needs to take a little bit more time to ensure people are absolutely safe, then that's what's required."

Image source, Reuters

Hodgkinson acknowledged it was a "very worrying time for people", and praised the response of emergency services and council staff for "stepping up so professionally" in the midst of an unfolding and uncertain situation.

"Quite frankly, if it wasn't for that swift action following that phone call from the resident, then we could be in a terrible situation today, talking about something much worse."

Image source, Getty Images

Meanwhile in Liverpool, where the Labour Party is hosting its annual conference, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says events at RAF Fairford yesterday "are a reminder of the threats our country faces".

He has also thanked the security services, armed forces and police for their work both yesterday and "all year round".

"We will always stand up for our security against those who would do us harm," he says.

Image source, Getty Images

As our colleagues at the scene have been reporting, RAF Fairford has been unusually quiet this morning.

Only one plane has flown out and armed police officers continue to man a cordon surrounding the site.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

In response to the incident near RAF Fairford, the US Embassy has posted an alert to US citizens in the UK.

The notice urges them to "exercise caution and be mindful of personal security", warning them that US-associated events, organisations and facilities "may be at heightened risk".

People are being encouraged to be aware of their surroundings and monitor local media for updates.

No evidence that branding on three police-detained vans is from a legitimate companypublished at 10:12 BST 28 September

10:12 BST 28 September

By Charlotte Green and Benedict Garman

BBC Verify has been looking into the branding of the three white vans parked near RAF Fairford which are still being investigated by bomb disposal teams.

A verified image shows a red logo on one of the vans reading "Fuel 2You", with a mobile phone number also visible.

When contacted by the BBC, the number went straight to an automated Lycamobile voice message system.

We’ve found no evidence that "Fuel 2You" is a legitimate company operating in the UK or a real brand name.

However, BBC Verify contacted Fuel2U, a company with a similar name which delivers diesel across the UK. A spokesperson told us the vans are "nothing to do" with the company.

“From our perspective, it's a very unfortunate coincidence," they said. “It's spelled differently. The phone number is different. The branding is different entirely, so it's not a historic version of our brand."

They added that “all of our vans are present and accounted for" and "even if it was one of our vans that was stolen, it would have our logo on it. That is not our logo".

The company also confirmed it was a newly-launched business and had never used the name "Fuel 2You" in any previous form. Its branding is also accented green, rather than red.