How did the RAF Fairford incident go from 'suspected bomb plot' to police bail?
A high-profile counter-terrorism investigation at RAF Fairford has shifted after police found no explosives in the suspects' vehicles, only petrol. The incident sparked international tension, with US officials criticizing the UK's decision to release the suspects on bail.
Why it matters
The case illustrates the friction between international political rhetoric and domestic investigative strategy in counter-terrorism operations.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Daniel Sandford UK correspondent Watch: What's next for the RAF Fairford counter-terror investigation? On Sunday morning, the world was watching as drama unfolded in the village of Whelford.
Before sunrise, residents were called from their beds and told to evacuate as a huge police operation unfolded in the village, which is next door to RAF Fairford, a base used by the US Air Force.
One villager managed to take a picture of five men sitting on the ground, stripped to the waist, handcuffed and under armed guard.
They were arrested for offences under the Explosives Act. But now counter-terrorism detectives say no explosives were found in their three vans, only an "accelerant" - petrol.
What some newspapers called a "suspected bomb plot" ended in the suspects being bailed. So what was going on?
Also covering this story
13 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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