Defence Secretary Wes Streeting took a break from the Labour party conference this morning to address the suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford, where five men were arrested early Sunday. Streeting expressed gratitude for the vigilance of the local farmer who alerted police after reportedly seeing "a large group of hooded and masked men" near the base. "Thank you to that member of the public. She has done exactly what we would hope that someone in that extraordinary situation would do," Streeting said. "I'm really grateful to her - I think she acted, by her own admission, quickly and thoughtfully, and she did the right thing." Then, with the grace of a man who just remembered he has a media training manual, he added: "With respect, though, she does only have a partial picture. And that's as far as I wish to go this morning." Because nothing says "we've got this" like subtly undermining the civilian who actually foiled your plot.

Streeting also suggested that UK military bases are potential targets for "state-backed actors" looking to inflict "harm" on the country, which is a fancy way of saying "we think a foreign government might be involved, but we're not going to say which one yet." Meanwhile, police have imposed a 400m cordon around the air base and evacuated residents from 85 homes in the Cotswolds village of Whelford, who have still not been allowed to return. The five suspects were initially detained over explosives offences and then further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act after armed officers found explosives on three vans parked minutes from the base.

The farmer, who spoke to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, gave a detailed account that makes the official response look slightly less than stellar. "I was coming home late from a party. On reaching our farm, I found both the driveway and the road blocked by three white vans," she said. "We had noticed some activity from what I assumed were plain-clothed police officers for the previous few days, so initially I thought perhaps this was more of the same." She turned around, saw a large group of hooded and masked men who ran off, and then called the MoD police, whose phone rang out. At 1.36am, she called 999. Within 10 minutes, the village was full of armed police. "I think it was pure luck that I arrived in the village at a similar time to the vans," she said. "I am absolutely staggered that it was left to me, as a member of the public, to see and report this." She noted that the airbase had a roadblock near its entrance but not on other roads, and that police didn't evacuate the village until 6am, despite knowing about the vans since her call. "No one from the police has been in touch to ask me anything about it," she added. "I think they were hyper-focused and vigilant about the base itself, and had absolutely no regard for our village." She also messaged her village WhatsApp group to warn people to lock their doors. "I'm just really keen to highlight that it appears someone really dropped the ball on this."

The incident comes as the war between the US and Iran continues. In July, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps noted RAF Fairford's use by US bombers, warning the UK that "any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces." Counter-terror police and security services are searching for motive, and an Iranian link is high in their thinking, though sources warn nothing is being ruled out, including a jihadist or other motive. The UK threat level remains at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. Any proven link with Iran would be a dramatic escalation in hostilities between the UK and Tehran. Several recent incidents in the UK have been linked to Iran, including the antisemitic arson attack on four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, but the alleged plot at RAF Fairford appears significantly more serious.

US President Donald Trump praised British law enforcement yesterday, calling "the arrest in the UK" fantastic. "We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great," he said. Trump's comments suggest the suspects had been under surveillance for a long time, but his remarks are undermined by the fact that the men got so close to the base, and the plot was apparently foiled by chance by a member of the public. Because nothing says "we had them under investigation" like a farmer with a 999 call.

The investigation continues, with police expected to provide an update later today. For now, the residents of Whelford remain evacuated, the farmer remains uncontacted by police, and the Defence Secretary remains grateful but condescending.