The alleged bomb plot targeting RAF Fairford caught police and security services by surprise and was not an intelligence-led operation, according to reporting by The Times.

Sources confirmed to the newspaper that the arrests were neither pre-planned nor the result of long-term surveillance, contradicting earlier claims by US President Donald Trump that the suspects had been monitored for a long time. Instead, officers launched a last-minute intervention solely after a 999 call from a member of the public in the early hours of Sunday morning, rather than late Sunday evening as previously reported.

Bomb disposal teams have since examined devices found across three vans near the military installation, according to the Daily Express. The paper also reported that 85 families were evacuated from nearby homes while the vehicles were made safe, rather than the hundreds initially estimated.

Five men remain in custody on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences after being detained close to the installation, which is used by United States forces to launch strikes from Europe. Counter-terrorism police are continuing to examine whether Tehran is linked to the incident.

In July, Iranian military chiefs warned that "any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target" after Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to let the US use British bases for defensive strikes.

The suspected operation was interrupted when a local farmer noticed masked individuals near the base on her way home from a party and alerted emergency services, before warning neighbours in the nearby village of Whelford via a local WhatsApp group to lock their doors.

Heightened security measures remain in place across US-operated installations in the UK. RAF Fairford is on Delta alert, its highest threat level, which has not been invoked at US bases in Britain since the September 11 attacks, while RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk has been placed on Charlie alert.

Gloucestershire Constabulary's Temporary Chief Constable, Maggie Blyth, has said the incident is believed to be contained, with no other suspects currently being sought. Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, confirmed the investigation remains in its early stages.

We still do not know the official identities of the five detained men, or whether investigators have uncovered evidence showing direct operational command from Tehran.

I will be following this investigation closely and will update as more facts are confirmed.