'I took Fairford pic - then all hell broke loose'

The man who took a now-famous photo of the five men arrested at RAF Fairford said he thought nothing of it until he woke up the following morning.

"I saw the guys being arrested outside the house on Sunday morning and went back to bed and went to sleep and thought, 'oh, well they've got them now'," said the man, who lives in Whelford. "Then all hell broke loose at half past six in the morning," he added.

At a police information point at Fairford Community Centre earlier, he - along with other locals - said communication from the military base had been "poor" following the major security incident.

The US Air Force has been approached for comment.

A major investigation was launched after five men were arrested at RAF Fairford on Sunday on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act. They have since been bailed.

Earlier, Counter Terrorism Policing announced a 27-year-old man, a dual UK/Iranian national, had been arrested in London, on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.

A second man, aged 26, has also been questioned under caution.

It follows the prime minister commenting on Wednesday that he believed Iran was involved in the Fairford incident.

The resident who took the widely shared image said police did not have enough information at Thursday's drop-in event "to be able to give us anything".

"Going forward, whats going to happen in the future?" said the man, who did not want to be named.

"Recently I think [the base's] communication with the local population has been poor.

"I can see why people do feel unsafe," he added.

Another local, Selina Vesey-Hague, said representatives from the military base should have been at the police event to answer questions.

"I think obviously a lot of people think it could happen again. And so we need a proper, proper plan," she said.

When asked if she felt reassured, Vesey-Hague said "possibly not".

"I wouldn't say I feel particularly safe," she added.

A Whelford resident told the BBC she not surprised there were suspicions over Iranian involvement, and there was "a lot of resentment" in the village.

"None of us wanted the American bombers here. We don't mind the base, but not this bombing campaign."

She added: "As a village we're feeling a bit lost and ignored by the machinations of what's going on with the police and the base.

"There are 85 homes here with people of varying ages and frailties.

"We'd like a lot of answers about why the MOD phone wasn't answered [as the incident unfolded]. If security was increased on Saturday as it was then why were notices not issued to residents?"

PC Tyler Harris from Gloucestershire Police said the public sessions were set up because "it's a major thing that's happened and everyone's got lots of questions, and emotions can be up in the air".

He said the community had been "very understanding" that the force can "only talk about certain things".

Harris said officers would be doing "high-visibility patrols" in the area and that letters had been sent out to the households closest to the incident.

There will be more police drop-in events set up over the next couple of weeks, he added.

Michael Vann, district councillor for Fairford, called the meeting "very much a first step", if a "tiny bit belated".

He added: "There was an elephant in the room who wasn't there - the United States Air Force."

Vann said a regular meeting held on Wednesday evenings at the base had been cancelled.

"Theres a big difference between being safe and feeling safe," said Cotswold District councillor Tristan Wilkinson.

"I have every reassurance from the authorities about the measures they're taking to keep the community safe - that's very different from people feeling safe.

"People don't feel safe," he said, adding one person told the meeting: "We feel like sitting ducks."

"They need to be told really clearly what the authorities are doing to protect this community," said Wilkinson.

"As long as this conflict with Iran goes on we will be living next door to a significant military base, and we need to be planning for the long term.

"We need to figure out how we live side-by-side so that they [the base] have the operational independence they need but also how the community is reassured."

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