She Was Out Late at Party, Noticed Fishy-Looking Vans

One day after authorities in Britain arrested five men on terror charges near a military base used by the US, exactly what unfolded at RAF Fairford is still far from clear. Five men in their early 20s, all British nationals from London, were arrested on suspicion of terrorism in the early hours of Sunday near the southern England base, reports the Guardian. The men have not been further identified, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham cautioned against speculating who was behind the incident until the investigation is over, per the New York Times. US bombers that launch strikes in Iran are housed at the base.

One thing that is clear is how the apparent plot unraveled, and a local farmer gets some of the credit. The woman in the small village of Whelford says she was out at a party unusually late and spotted three white vans with fake-looking signage, reports the BBC. "When you live in Whelford, you notice everything," she says, adding that villagers all know each other. Then she saw a group of men who appeared to "panic" when they saw her. All were wearing similar clothing and had their faces covered. She called police, and "literally within five minutes it all kicked off," she says. "There were armed police, a helicopter." Other residents near the base also had called the police to report suspicious activity. (President Trump has said the suspects also were on the radar of US authorities.)

As for a potential Iran connection, things get complicated quickly, says Antonio Giustozzi of the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank in London. "If it is Iran-related, it could be hard-liners trying to undermine Iranian government efforts to negotiate a settlement of the war with the US, or proxies such as Hezbollah, unhappy that Iran is not paying sufficient attention to their interests," he tells the Times. On Monday, Iran's embassy in London said it "categorically rejects" any notion that Tehran itself was behind the incident.