As we've been reporting, Counter Terrorism Police (CTP) are now leading the investigation into the major incident around RAF Fairford.

CTP is not a distinct agency or an independent police force. Rather, it's a policing network.

It's made up of 11 regional counter terrorism units and intelligence units that collaborate to prevent and investigate terrorism in the UK.

Its personnel belong to 43 police forces from across England and Wales, alongside the police services of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

But CTP is unified centrally and has a headquarters in London, hosted by the Metropolitan Police.

Image source, Getty Images

What should have been a quiet Sunday morning in a Gloucestershire village has been upended, as the Army and other emergency services were called to respond to a major incident near the RAF Fairford military base.

Here's how it's unfolded.

00:45 BST: Gloucestershire police says it received a call reporting "three suspicious vehicles" travelling towards RAF Fairford.

Around 07:00 BST: Residents in the village of Whelford - which is around two miles (3.2 km) from the base - describe being woken up by police, who told them to evacuate from their homes to a local leisure centre.

Shortly after 08:00 BST: Gloucestershire police says a "major incident" has been declared near RAF Fairford, and that several men have been arrested on suspicion of explosives offences.

Throughout the morning: A cordon remains in place in Whelford, while specialist teams - and a robot - are seen examining vehicles.

11:33 BST: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirms the incident has been "contained".

14:15 BST: Authorities give an update, confirming Counter Terrorism Police is leading the investigation. They say that that five men remain in custody.

Shortly after: Counter Terror Police says it is "in the early stages" of its investigation, and "working closely" with partners "understand the circumstances of the incident".

16:18 BST: US President Donald Trump tells reporters that the men arrested near RAF Fairford on Sunday were "looking to do big damage". "We had them under investigation," he adds.

18:13 BST: Police in Gloucestershire provide an update, saying that they consider the matter contained. It is also confirmed that dozens of displaced households will not return to homes inside the cordon tonight, as counter-terror police continue to investigate.

Local authorities in Gloucestershire have just given an update about the incident near RAF Fairford.

Here's what we learned:

• Gloucestershire Constabulary's Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth said a disposal unit continues to examine three vehicles near Whelford
• She says that counter terrorism police are now leading the investigation and will decide if the case should be declared a terrorism incident - no such decision has been made so far
• The temporary chief constable gave reassurance that the incident is now contained following "swift arrests". She added that Gloucestershire police had been preparing for an incident of this nature
• Blyth said around 85 households can expect to be away from their homes this evening - David Stanley, of Cotswold District Council, said the council will support any residents who need accommodation or have other needs

A bit more now from the press conference with authorities in Gloucestershire, which has concluded.

David Stanley of Cotswold District Council says they have been working with the affected residents to arrange accommodation. He notes that some people are staying with family and friends, and the others will have overnight accommodation found for them.

Asked again about the phone call, Blyth says the she wants to reassure communities that any call into the force is "always acted on".

She is then asked if a controlled explosion was carried out. The police chief says she can not comment.

Responding to a question about how long residents can expect to be away from their homes, Blyth says they will not be able to return home this evening and the situation is being monitored.

Stanley, of Cotswold District Council, adds that the council will be reviewing the situation in light of any updates over the next few hours and it will support any residents with any accommodation or other needs if that is necessary.

Blyth is next asked if they are looking for anybody additional. She says she can't go into detail but "can give reassurance that we believe the matter to be contained".

Blyth adds that they are "gathering and responding to local intelligence all the time".

As for the concerns local residents might have about being so close to a US military base, Blyth says they respond to raised matters "all the time" in collaboration with other agencies.

David Stanley of Cotswold District Council adds here that they are "completely aware" of residents concerns, and are working to address these on an "ongoing basis".

Blyth is asking by LBC if Gloucestershire police had been preparing for a major incident like this.

She says the force prepares for this sort of incident "all of the time" and is very well prepared.

She adds that this is a "normal response for us".

Blyth says that there were "swift arrests" but does not say how many officers were involved in the response.

Blyth is also asked if the RAF did not pick up the phone when a concerned resident called. She says that she can not go into the response overnight.

Blyth says this is "a fast moving situation", with all agencies across Gloucestershire "actively working to respond to our communities needs".

She adds that they will continue to assist Counter Terror Police (CTP) with the investigation.

Moving onto questions, Blyth is first asked for detail about the vans, but says she can't provide information because it is part of CTP's investigation.

She confirms that it was Gloucestershire police that made the initial arrests, and notes that CTP have "primacy" over the investigation now. Blyth says it is a matter for them to decide if it will be declared a terrorist incident.

Gloucestershire Constabulary's Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth begins the press conference by saying that a disposal unit continues to examine three vehicles near Whelford.

She says that counter terrorism police are leading the investigation, and says she can't give further details.

Blyth says that the arrests will have caused "some shock and anxiety" in the community and it is working to support people.

She says that a cordon remains in place.

We're expecting to hear an update shortly from the police on their response to the RAF Fairford incident.

Earlier, Gloucestershire police confirmed that five men has been arrested on suspicion of explosives offences after "three suspicious vehicles" were spotted near the base.

You'll be able to watch live at the top of this page. We'll also bring you key details from their remarks here.

Bea Swallow
Live page reporter

Gloucestershire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Chris Nelson, has issued a statement thanking residents for their patience amid the ongoing incident.

Nelson says he had "refrained from commenting until now" while Gloucestershire Constabulary established the facts of what he described as a "fast-moving situation".

"I'd like to begin by thanking the residents of Whelford and Fairford for their understanding whilst policing and the armed forces have been dealing with this incident," he adds.

"Strong communities, like those in the Cotswolds are what helps keep communities safe and make them more resilient.

"I also want to pay tribute to the comprehensive emergency service and local council response, following well understood major incident and contingency plans."

Nelson says his focus is on supporting local people and ensuring residents are kept informed about when it is safe to return home, alongside what reassurance can be provided in the weeks and months ahead.

Image source, Getty Images

The US military says it is "working closely" with its UK counterparts after five men were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences near RAF Fairford, where the US Air Force has a significant presence.

“We are working closely with our UK counterparts to monitor this situation, minimise impacts and ensure the safety of US personnel, their families, and the local community," a spokesperson says.

Three white vans turned up in the small village of Whelford - next to RAF Fairford - in the early hours of Sunday morning. In the hours since, five people have been arrested, a bomb disposal team has been deployed and 85 homes were evacuated.

Police say they were alerted to the incident after receiving a call from a resident reporting "three suspicious vehicles" travelling towards the base.

Rich Preston
BBC News

Protection of the UK's military sites is shared between several organisations and covers more than a hundred facilities used by the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, the Army, and other Ministry of Defence (MoD) departments.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation manages the entire defence estate. It's part of the MoD.

Armed soldiers are provided by the Military Provost Guard Service. The MoD Guard Service provides an unarmed presence.

In the case of RAF Fairford, they're supported in their work by the RAF Police as well as the local police force, Gloucestershire Constabulary.

London's Metropolitan Police leads the UK's counter-terror policing.

The Security Service (MI5) is the UK's domestic security and intelligence agency which evaluates the intelligence picture and assesses threats against the UK.

Naturally, they work closely with their counterparts in countries like the US.

Image source, .

An image purporting to show the moment five men were arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire has been sent to BBC Your Voice.

The person who sent us the image told us it was taken last night and then shared on a local village WhatsApp group.

We are unable to verify the original source but BBC Verify has geolocated the image and can confirm it appears to be authentic.

It shows detained men in Whelford, about 350 metres from runway access at Crash Gate 6A at RAF Fairford.

This is 40 metres from where two bomb disposal vehicles were seen overnight, and 90 metres from where bomb disposal vehicles have been pictured in helicopter footage today.

It’s also about 200 metres by road from where a robot has been pictured moving between three white vans.

Image source, Getty Images

US President Donald Trump tells reporters that the men arrested near RAF Fairford on Sunday were "looking to do big damage".

"We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great," he says.

"It may have been Scotland Yard, I don’t know. We worked with a lot of them. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.

"It was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job."

Image source, Reuters

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has urged people not to speculate after five men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences.

"I know today's incident near RAF Fairford will be deeply concerning for local residents and for many people following developments across the country," Burnham writes on X, also thanking the police for their response.

He says the "safety and security of the public" is his government's "first priority", adding: "I want people to know that we will always take every step necessary to protect our communities and keep our country safe."

"The investigation remains ongoing, and I would urge people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts."

Jeff, one of the local people who was evacuated, says "the whole village" is at the leisure centre.

"I heard shouting outside at about 02:00 BST," he says. "[I] looked out the window and saw men were being held by police outside the house.

"They were armed. It was surreal."

He says he got to the leisure centre a few hours later.

"They [the leisure centre] have paid for tea, coffee, bacon sandwiches," he says.

"We've been asked if we have anywhere to stay overnight.

"The whole village is here. There's about 60 houses in the village."

Anyone arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 can be detained for up to 14 days without charge.

That's different to the usual 24-hour limit for standard arrests without an extension application.

The five men were arrested earlier today under the act - meaning any hypothetical charge could come as late as 11 October.

They are in custody having been arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, Counter Terrorism Police say.

The act also allows police to arrest anyone without a warrant if they are reasonably suspected of being a terrorist and provides stop and search powers.

Bea Swallow
BBC News, West of England

Image source, Getty Images

Today's incident has brought an unusual level of attention to a community more accustomed to a slower pace of life.

Fairford is a small Cotswold market town with a population of about 4,000 people, best known for its medieval church, stone streets and quaint riverside setting.

While the airbase sits just outside the town and is a major presence, day-to-day life is generally that of a quiet rural community - aside from the occasional roar of military aircraft heard overhead.

The exception is the annual Royal International Air Tattoo when hundreds of aircraft and tens of thousands of visitors descend on the area, briefly turning the town into a focal point for aviation enthusiasts around the globe.