Tuesday briefing: Inside the suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford

In today’s newsletter: New details suggest there is a counter-narrative to how events unfolded at the airbase used by the US Good morning. Vehicles suspected of carrying explosives zipping across Britain, entirely unbeknownst to authorities, is a disconcerting prospect. Initially, it seemed precisely this had occurred in Gloucestershire early on Sunday. A major attack on RAF Fairford appeared to have been scuppered by “pure luck”, a local farmer said, after she noticed suspicious vans and masked men on an otherwise deserted country lane. Had she not tipped off police, the vigilant villager believes the five men arrested on terror offences would not have been apprehended. That account prompted questions about whether police and security services had been caught off guard. Bu new details emerging suggest there are competing, if not conflicting, versions of how events unfolded in the Cotswolds this weekend. So what exactly happened in the early hours of Sunday morning? In today’s First Edition, we’ll explore this, and some other unanswered questions, with the help of Guardian international security correspondent Jason Burke . Before that, this morning’s headlines. Energy | Andy Burnham will take his first major step to putting Britain’s utility companies into public control when, at the Labour conference, he announces a new government-backed body to invest in the electricity grid. Immigration | Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has signalled she is considering watering down her plans to make it harder for foreign workers to claim permanent residence in the UK, amid growing demands for a U-turn from cabinet colleagues and unions.

AI | Two of the “godfathers” of modern AI and senior executives at OpenAI and Anthropic have warned governments to prepare for an AI “intelligence explosion”, which they say could be the most consequential technological development in history. Petrol | The price of diesel on UK forecourts has hit an all-time high average of 199.18p a litre, as the conflict in the Middle East continues to drive the cost of fuel to record levels. Ebola | A senior member of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s ruling party was beaten to death on Sunday after appearing on a radio programme to raise awareness about the Ebola outbreak, a party representative has said. Forced to turn around, she then described seeing “a large group of hooded and masked men” at a nearby junction, who quickly dispersed. After a failed attempt to contact the Ministry of Defence, she phoned the police at 1.36am and posted in the local residents’ Whats App group. Roughly 10 minutes later, armed officers were on the scene. Five men were arrested 300 metres from the base’s perimeter, first under the Explosives Act, and subsequently also on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. All five – UK nationals from London aged between 23 and 25 – were released on bail yesterday. In interviews, the farmer, who has remained anonymous, reiterated her belief that her tip off “foiled whatever plans” were unfolding. “I am absolutely staggered that it was left to me, as a member of the public, to see and report this,” she said. That the high-security site was so exposed, and that the vans suspected of carrying explosives in its vicinity went totally unnoticed, has since raised questions. While thanking the farmer for her efforts, defence secretary Wes Streeting was quick to cast doubt on her assertions, hinting that UK security services were aware and that her account only offered “a partial picture”.

Donald Trump has claimed the US and UK agencies worked together and had the five men “under view for a long time”, adding the suspects “were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great”. The farmer acknowledged there had been “activity” by what she “assumed were plain-clothed police officers” in the area in recent days. Another local told the BBC that while walking their dog early on Saturday evening they were stopped by armed police and told to return home. Gloucestershire constabulary said they were first alerted to the suspicious vans at 12.45am on Sunday – almost an hour before the farmer’s 999 call. Counter-terror police have confirmed the three vehicles had been travelling overnight and been subject to extensive examination, with the support of military assets and forensic experts. It is now understood that the material found inside them was not viable explosives, but police have said the investigation is continuing. And then there’s the expeditious nature of the response: the speed with which armed officers and police helicopters arrived at a rural location in the middle of the night appears improbable. Police are still working to establish motive. Yesterday afternoon, the head of UK National Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, confirmed it may have been the work of proxies, or individuals working on behalf of a foreign state. On Monday night, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Fox News that a foreign actor was involved in the suspected plot, but provided no evidence for his claims. Iran is the centre of speculation, having explicitly stated it considers RAF Fairford “a legitimate target”.

⚡ Effects Interpreter