Subtle details on a van outside a military base in Britain appear to have given away a group of terrorists as a suspected Iranian plot was foiled at the last-minute.
One of three vans stopped near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire yesterday looked suspicious because a phone number and lettering on them appeared to be fake.
Five men in the vans packed with explosives were stopped 350 yards from the base, which American forces have used to launch air strikes against the regime in Tehran.
The farmer who alerted police has since claimed the vans immediately appeared suspicious to her because the details on the side did not appear to be real.
A major incident was declared and images circulated online that showed one of the vans with ‘Fuel 2You’ printed on its exterior in red text with a phone number.
Social media accounts shared the photographs alongside details of a real company based in Beaconsfield called ‘Fuel2U’, which uses green and black branding.
Some observers also spotted that the phone number underneath the fake name – 0742 418 2599 – was spaced in 434 format, which is predominantly used in Iran.
The UK uses a 533 or 56 format for mobile numbers, which would make the number read 07424 182599 or 07424 182 599. In any event, the number is out of service.
One of the three vans near RAF Fairford had ‘Fuel 2You’ printed on its exterior in red text
The van also had a phone number spaced in 434 format, which is predominantly used in Iran
The three white vans are investigated by a robot after the ‘foiled terror plot’ on RAF Fairford
When the Daily Mail called it this morning, a recorded message said: ‘The number you have dialled is not in service. Please check the number and try your call again.’
Others pointed out how it was odd to use a red logo for a business supplying fuel, when the colour of petrol pumps in the UK is green. In Iran, the colour is red.
Fuel2U issued a statement firmly rejecting any connection with the Fairford incident, saying it was ‘extremely concerned’ that its name was pasted on one of the vans.
The fuel delivery company also asked people not to threaten its staff, warning that threatening messages will be reported to police.
A Fuel2U spokesman said: ‘We want to make it absolutely clear that neither the vehicle nor any of the individuals involved has any connection whatsoever with Fuel2U, its directors, employees or current business operations.
‘We are extremely concerned that our company’s name have been used without our knowledge or permission. We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and will assist them with any enquiries.’
It added: ‘Fuel2U strongly condemns any unlawful or dangerous activity. We thank the police, emergency services and specialist teams for their continuing work to protect the public and investigate this matter.
‘We understand that people may have questions, but we respectfully ask that members of the public do not contact or threaten our staff. Any threatening or abusive communications will be recorded and reported to the police.’
Five men are seen as police arrest them near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire early yesterday
Armed police officers stand guard on a road outside the perimeter of RAF Fairford this morning
It is understood that Fuel2U has two vans and they were both in London yesterday.
The farmer also said that she spotted the vehicles ‘blocking the road’ while she was driving home, before seeing a ‘large group of hooded and ‘balaclava’d’ men’.
‘They would have seen the bright headlights,’ she said. ‘They probably thought we were the police (and) panicked.’
She added: ‘It would appear that by doing so I just derailed whatever they were planning.’
Officers arrived on the scene around 15 minutes after she dialled 999, she said.
A cordon was put in place near RAF Fairford and more than 80 evacuated households were unable to return home.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he was ‘really grateful’ to the resident, who has asked not to be identified.
But he added that ‘she does only have a partial picture – and that’s as far as I wish to go this morning’.
US President Donald Trump said the alleged plotters were ‘looking to do big damage’ to the base. He added: ‘It was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job.’
