Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

The five men who were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offences near the RAF Fairford military base have been released on bail, UK counter-terrorism police said this afternoon.

The men - who are all British - remain under investigation, "as we explore multiple lines of inquiry, the head of counter-terrorism policing, Laurence Taylor,told reporters.

Police are exploring whether proxies or individuals working on behalf of a foreign state were involved, he said.

The release of the five men sits at odds with our being told this was a "major incident," the BBC's Security Correspondent Frank Gardner writes.

A large cordon remains in place near the base, while 85 households who were evacuated on Sunday have now been told by Gloucestershire Police that they can return home.

Many questions remain unanswered about the incident, including how President Trump's comments on the matter relate to the developments.

The US president said on Sunday: "We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage.”

After the five men were released on Monday, Trump weighed in again, saying he wouldn't have let them out on bail.

We are ending our live coverage now but you can read our news story here.

Christopher Mace
Live page reporter

Earlier we brought you a picture appearing to show an open and unguarded gate and barrier at RAF Fairford, reportedly taken on Thursday 24 September.

We sent the image to the United States Air Force this afternoon and they have now issued a response:

"For operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measures.

"The 501st Combat Support Wing remains vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families across the European theater."

They added: "We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families."

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

As we've reported, President Trump was briefly asked about the incident at RAF Fairford.

His answers, however, did not provide much clarity - other than to make clear he was surprised and perhaps somewhat dismayed the five men arrested on Sunday have been released on bail, and that he views the co-operation with UK authorities as "very good".

While Trump said that Iran "might" be linked to the incident, he declined to provide any further details on what makes him believe that.

Since the US began striking Iran in late February, the White House and Trump have repeatedly described Iran's government as one that has been linked to terrorist attacks on US targets, stretching back to the founding of the Islamic Republic and bombings and kidnappings that took place in Lebanon in early 1980s.

Notably, there seems to be a disconnect between what Trump is saying and what British authorities are saying regarding the incident, with Trump saying that "we know everything" about the suspects and police in the UK stating that this was not an intelligence-led operation.

Image source, EPA

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump says he wouldn't have let the five men arrested near RAF Fairford out on bail.

"I'm surprised they released them, I wouldn't have," he says.

"We know everything about them, we would not have released them."

He adds that the UK has been "very good" and has worked with the US "very closely".

Image source, Getty Images

US President Trump is currently speaking in the Oval Office - currently talking about domestic US matters - but we'll bring you anything he mentions on the RAF Fairford incident.

The incident is relevant to the US, as its air force operates out of the UK base, where its supersonic B-1 bombers are located.

Image source, UK Pool

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has praised the policing response as "exemplary" following the incident near RAF Fairford, and says the men released are "under stringent bail conditions".

Speaking from Liverpool, following a Cobra meeting chaired by Andy Burnham, Streeting says that ministers are "acutely aware" that the events have "caused considerable disruption to the local community and also wider public concern".

He adds: "The response of our policing, counter-terrorism policing, and security services has been exemplary."

Streeting says that decisions around bail are for the police, and tells the public that "those five individuals are under stringent bail conditions", adding that "we remain with a live investigation".

Image source, PA

Announcing that evacuated residents are able to return to their homes, Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth has thanked the community for its "continued support and assistance".

She says she knows the incidents of the last few days will have caused "anxiety and uncertainty", but adds the force is doing "everything we can to return your lives to normality".

Blyth reiterates that Counter Terrorism Policing are leading the investigation, and that there are many questions Gloucestershire Police "simply cannot answer".

She says the last 48 hours have thrown "our usually quiet and peaceful communities under the spotlight of the international media".

Blyth adds: "There have been some reports in the media that have raised questions about our response, and I want to reassure people we have responded appropriately and quickly to all calls."

Residents who were evacuated from around 85 homes near RAF Fairford because of a suspected plot to attack the airbase are now able to return home, Gloucestershire Police have said.

But police say a cordon remains in place around the three suspicious vehicles which were spotted near the military base in the early hours of Sunday morning.

People who were evacuated in the early hours of Sunday morning were taken to a nearby leisure centre which was set up for emergency respite.

Those who could not stay with family or friends were put up on Sunday night in hotels across Swindon and Cirencester.

Christopher Mace
Live page reporter

A driver has said he was "absolutely amazed" that when he drove past RAF Fairford on Thursday there was reportedly no security at the base's gate.

He shared rear-facing dashcam images which appear to show an entrance to RAF Fairford with its gates and security barrier open.

The driver told the BBC he drove past the entrance twice within 45 minutes and was "shocked" to see no visible security on either occasion.

"I could easily have walked onto or driven onto the base," he says.

"I was absolutely amazed that you've got active bombers in there and no security at the gate."

BBC Verify has confirmed the location shown in the image as being RAF Fairford, but said it was unable to validate claims that security personnel were not present. The image was recorded just days before the incident that is now the subject of an investigation.

We have approached the United States Air Force, which is stationed at RAF Fairford, for comment.

Leigh Boobyer
Live page reporter

A large police presence remains near RAF Fairford while counter-terror police continue with their investigation.

Some residents have been allowed to return to their homes this evening after being forced to flee early on Sunday morning.

Here's the latest photographs from the scene.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

Leigh Boobyer
Live page reporter

Gloucestershire County Council councillor Dom Morris says he will put "drinks behind the bar" for the local community after this weekend's suspected terror plot displaced dozens of people.

“A big day for our community. Many were evacuated; some remain unable to get home, farm animals remain unfed,” he says.

“We are in shock. But we are a resilient bunch.

"Let's all look after each other like the local farmer who stepped up overnight on Saturday – for that I will be putting some drinks behind the bar."

Bea Swallow
Live page reporter

Long before this weekend's security scare put RAF Fairford in the national spotlight, the base was a battleground for public opposition to military action.

In March and April, hundreds of anti-war demonstrators gatheredoutside the gates to protest against the UK government's decision to allow American forces to operate from the Gloucestershire base.

Protesters argued that UK bases should not be used in another Middle East conflict and warned that the country risked being drawn deeper into a war with Iran.

Daniel Sandford
UK correspondent

The five men arrested on Sunday morning have all been released on police bail.

But detectives said they “absolutely” remain under investigation.

It means this case did not get to the stage where there was such major concern that the suspects had to remain in custody or be charged.

Whether these men were involved in some kind of activism or were acting unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state are still part of the investigation.

But we can probably rule out some enormous set of explosives being found in those vehicles.

There is still quite a lot of concern about what those men were doing so close to RAF Fairford in the early hours of Sunday morning, however this is not the plot some were fearing at the time of their arrest.

But that begs the question of how these developments fit with what Trump said about the arrests?

He told reporters on Sunday: "We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort.”

It's possible Trump was talking off the cuff, or that he was talking about something unconnected. We have seen security tightened up over the week around RAF Fairford, according to local residents.

But what involvement these men had in that seems to have got the point where it was so unclear that they have been released on police bail.

What we know about US use of RAF Fairford this yearpublished at 17:32 BST 28 September

17:32 BST 28 September

By Alex Murray

RAF Fairford has played a key role in US operations against Iran this year since then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorised the use of UK air bases for the "specific and limited defensive purpose" on 1 March.

6 March: The first B-1 bomber was pictured arriving at RAF Fairford.

Image source, PA Media

10 March: US military personnel are pictured preparing munitions for four B-1s and three B-52 bombers which are at the base.

11 March: Verified footage posted on social media shows a flight of three B-1s taking off from Fairford the day before with B-52 bombers visible in the background.

Image source, Flightradar24

18 March: Partial flight-tracking data shows a B-1 previously seen taking off from Fairford made a near-16 hour round-trip to the Middle East.

19 September: Flight-tracking data shows a B-1 taking off from RAF Fairford and flying over central Europe before heading to the Atlantic and then returning to base.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

The BBC understands that some evacuees are now returning to their homes.

Our reporter on the ground has been told by a farmer living nearby that local people are being allowed back to their houses.

On Sunday, 85 households close to the military base were advised to evacuate, and a leisure centre was made available for those unable to stay with family or friends.

However, a large cordon still remains in place near to RAF Fairford.

Sadaf Maruf
Your Voice news editor

Image source, PA Wire

Gerrard lives in Marston Meysey, a village in Wiltshire that's about a six-minute drive away from RAF Fairford's runway.

Marston Meysey is a small settlement, made up of just 60 houses, but the residents' worries now loom large.

"The bombers are too close to domestic dwellings," Gerrard says, adding that the base is "very close to public roads, which is a security risk that is all too real with respect to potential terrorist attempts".

According to Gerrard, who asked we refer to him using a pseudonym, one end of RAF Fairford's runway is roughly 420 metres (460 yards) away from a children's playground.

Image source, Getty Images

He says villagers have raised their worries about noise and security repeatedly with the Ministry of Defence (MoD), RAF, and local MP.

Gerrard is also concerned about the number of aviation enthusiasts who visit the area regularly.

"It’s not really possible to tell them apart from any malicious potential terrorist activity or surveillance," he says.

Releases at odds with major incident declaredpublished at 16:39 BST 28 September

16:39 BST 28 September

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Up and down the country the word "What?!" is probably being mouthed in incredulity.

The announcement this afternoon by the head of Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) that all five men arrested outside RAF Fairford airbase early on Sunday are to be released on bail sits at odds with our being told this was a "major incident" and talk of disaster averted.

The men, all young UK nationals from London, are still under investigation. But the fact they are no longer in custody dramatically reduces the scale of how big or how dangerous a plot this was alleged to be.

So what were they doing? Dressed in balaclavas and turning up in vans in the dead of night close to the perimeter of one of the most sensitive military sites in the country, then fleeing on being spotted by a vigilant member of the public, are actions bound to attract suspicion.

The fact that a Cobra national security meeting has been convened to discuss this incident shows it is being taken extremely seriously by the government.

And yet now, as it stands on Monday afternoon, it leaves us with more questions than answers.

Image source, UK pool

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says the RAF Fairford counter-terror investigation serves as a reminder that at a time of "heighten threat, we must all remain vigilant".

Speaking at Labour's party conference in Liverpool, Mahmood addresses anyone who wishes to carry out harm on British soil: "You will never defeat us".

The home secretary says she cannot speak further on the matter as police need to be left to carry out their investigation, though says the men under suspicion are all British.

She reveals the scene is now safe and affected residents will soon be able to return to their homes.

In the latest update, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor revealed that the five men arrested near RAF Fairford on Sunday morning are being released on police bail.

Here are the key points:

• The five men are being released following "extensive interviews and inquiries"
• The investigation continues and the men are subject to "stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others" and "absolutely remain under investigation"

• Taylor said the men had been arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act
• He said the three vehicles the men had been travelling in have been subject to "extensive examination" with support from military and forensic experts
• CTP hopes to reduce their presence at the scene "later today" and "get residents back to their homes"

Taylor added that CTP are keeping an "open mind" as to whether the "geopolitical context" is a factor in their investigation.

He says police are "considering this from every angle", including whether the incident was "committed by proxies or individuals... working on behalf of a foreign state".

Taylor continues and says he hopes to return the affected communities "to normality" as quickly as possible.

The assistant commissioner also asks the public to "remain vigilant" and report any suspicious activity to the police.

He ends his statement by saying incidents like this one are "a reminder of the importance of public vigilance".