Mystery over UK airbase scare as police find petrol, not explosives

A UK probe into a suspected bomb plot at an airbase used by the US was mired in confusion Tuesday, as police said no explosives but a “quantity of petrol” was found in vehicles seized nearby.

Police were called to the Royal Air Force Fairford base in southwest England on Sunday after a resident saw several vans “acting suspiciously”, triggering an evacuation of the nearby village and the declaration of a “major incident”.

“Those vehicles have been subject to extensive examination … and we can confirm that no improvised explosive devices were found. However, a quantity of petrol was recovered,” National Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor said.

There have been huge questions around the incident after five London-based Britons were released on bail on Monday after being arrested early on Sunday on explosives and terror offences, with Washington criticising their release.