A family playing cricket near RAF Fairford were told to move away by armed guards monitoring a “live incident” eight hours before a suspected terror plot was thwarted, reports suggest. The Gloucestershire base was said to be under high alert after intelligence suggested such a plot was possible, with the cricketers warned that the area “wasn’t safe” at 4:30pm last Saturday.

It wasn’t until 12:45am on Sunday that a 999 call was made about masked men in a van nearby, with six people since arrested and released on bail. One of the cricketers told The Sun: “We’d played the evening before with no issue, but on Saturday, two guards ran to the fence with guns and said: ‘You can’t be here. There is a live incident going on. It’s not safe.'”

RAF Fairford has been used in recent months by US bombers after former Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted the US permission to use British bases for “defensive” strikes against Tehran in the Middle East war.

Counter-terror police said a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices were found in the three vans that sparked the security alert near the airbase.

Five British nationals, all in their mid-20s, were arrested on suspicion of explosive offences and terrorism and then bailed. Police said a dual UK-Iranian national was also released on bail after his arrest on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.

Senior CTP national co-ordinator Vicki Evans previously said the investigation is “hugely complex”, adding specialist teams are “interrogating multiple lines of inquiry”. She said: “As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles – including possible foreign state involvement.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there were “strong indications” Iran played a part in the incident near the military base.

On Thursday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Israel handed Britain intelligence about the suspected terror plot.

Mr Netanyahu said his country warned UK authorities about the “Iranian-sponsored attack” shortly before Britain’s announcement of a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Earlier in the week, US president Donald Trump said he was “disappointed” after the five men were released on bail. He told reporters: “We were involved in (the investigation), but as you know, your fellow countrymen let them go.

“Well, they didn’t let them go. They put them out on bail. I assume they haven’t watched closely… they should not have done that.”