Late-night drive and a 999 call: farmer’s chance encounter that led to terrorism arrests at RAF base

Local people say members of WhatsApp group noticed suspicious activity around vans in Whelford overnight

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a resident of the village of Whelford was driving home from a party when she saw three white vans parked on a country road. She was immediately suspicious, she said, and all the more so when she spotted a large group of hooded and balaclavaed" men. She called 999 and police arrived on the scene 15 minutes later.

The resident, who asked not to be named but reportedly is a local farmer, told the Press Association: It would appear that by doing so I just derailed whatever they [the men] were planning. A plucky amateur shouldn't be spotting an unusual bit of activity at 1am when the airbase is on high alert. I think it's absolutely astonishing."