Five arrested over suspected plot to attack UK military base

Global News Podcast

This episode of the Global News Podcast covers a series of high-stakes international developments, ranging from a suspected terrorist plot a

Key takeaways

• Five men were arrested near RAF Fairford on suspicion of terrorism following reports of suspicious vehicles.
• Houthi rebels have made significant advances in Yemen, threatening global oil shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Main topics

• UK terrorism investigation
• Yemen civil war

Notable quotes

The early days of Route 66 are not a fun story.

Conclusion

The episode provides a sobering look at how localized conflicts and hi

Transcript preview

Speaker 5 (0:00) This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Speaker 8 (0:06) What's it like to see an El Nino on the horizon? I'm Tristan Redmond, one of the hosts of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. And on today's show, we speak to a climate scientist who's worked for the US government predicting extreme weather events like this year's El Nino. Of course I'm worried because I know these extremes impact people and you can't not be worried about that. What does he see coming? Search for the Global Story on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 8 (0:35) They were taught to obey. People truly, deeply respect him. But they learnt to resist. Not Speaker 6 (0:42) to stay silent, not to become another victim. In Speaker 8 (0:45) the new season of World of Secrets, our investigation follows a group of students as they fight to expose a dark secret inside their Islamic boarding school. I am not the only one. There are other girls too. Speaker 6 (0:58) We have to hold him accountable. Speaker 8 (1:00) World of Secrets, catching my teacher. Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Speaker 1 (1:10) This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Speaker 1 (1:16) I'm Nick Miles, and in the early hours of Monday, the 28th of September, these are our main stories. Five men are arrested in Britain on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offensive after suspicious vehicles were reported near an airbase used by the US military. We have an exclusive report from Yemen where fighting is intensifying as Iranian-backed Houthis continue to advance on the key city of Taiz. And politics and sport collide as Ireland's football team beats Israel in a match overshadowed by the Gaza conflict. Speaker 1 (1:53) Also in this podcast, Venezuelans take to the streets demanding the return of the opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Will she ever be allowed back in? And... The Speaker 6 (2:03) early days of Route 66 are not a fun story. Where people really want to talk about it is that post-war, that open road represented freedom. And Route 66, it just kept reinventing itself. Speaker 1 (2:16) As the famous road celebrates its centenary, we take a ride down memory lane. Speaker 1 (2:25) Speculation is growing over who was behind an attempted attack on an Air Force base here in the UK, which is also used by the US military. Five men have been arrested on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences after suspicious vehicles were reported near the base in rural England. Earlier this year, the British government gave US warplanes permission to use RAF Fairford as a staging post for strikes on Iran. Donald Trump praised British police for arresting the five men. Speaker 5 (2:55) Working with Britain, it was an Speaker 6 (2:57) amazing job. We had them under investigation. They were Speaker 5 (3:02) looking to do big damage to our port. And working with the British worked out great. Speaker 7 (3:08) It may have Speaker 5 (3:09) 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. Speaker 1 (3:15) Well, despite President Trump's claims that the men were under view for a long time, Local police have said the arrests occurred after a member of the public contacted them. Our diplomatic correspondent James Landau told us more about how this story unfolded. Well, it began with a telephone call to the local police in the early hours of the morning from a driver passing by who saw these three... vans parked in a strange way and alerting the authorities. And then it followed from there. It is a global story simply because this kind of threat against military infrastructure across Europe is now something that is forming a pattern. The idea of hostile activity spilling out of conflicts around the world back to European capitals and countries, back to, you know, even to the United States. So the interesting question will be. What was the threat? Where did these men come from? Because at the moment, there's an awful lot of information we don't know. We know that the Iranians have directly threatened the British authorities for allowing the Americans to use the base. There was a formal statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran in July making that threat. We also know that in the last few days, the UK Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, met the Iranian foreign minister, Mr. Ragchi, and explicitly warned him against the hostile activity. of foreign states in the UK and reinforcing UK resolve against such threats. So, you know, the idea of Iran being a potential line of inquiry for this investigation is clear and it's obvious. Some people are looking to Moscow. We know that Russia has been threatening to step up its hybrid activity and attacks against NATO countries. The Danish intelligence warned about that only a few days ago. Germany has now formally blamed Russia for a drone. attack against Leipzig airport. And we know that the Russian embassy in London over the summer formally warned the UK of an increasingly higher price that it would pay for its support for Ukraine. So that might be a line of inquiry too. James Landau. Earlier this month, Houthi fighters made dramatic advances against government forces, taking control of hundreds of kilometres of Yemen's coastline close to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. declaring, as it did so, a naval blockade for Saudi shipping. That's of huge concern around the world because the Houthi advances mean they can threaten the millions of barrels of oil that flow through the strait every day. Yemeni government forces are now pushing back. Fighting is intensifying around the city of Taiz. Our senior international investigations correspondent Nawal Al-Maghafi and her team are the first international news organisation to reach Taiz since those Houthi advances. She travelled with government forces to one of the closest positions to the Houthis. Speaker 7 (6:11) Locked and loaded, the Yemeni troops are heading for battle, unsure of whether they'll return. They're taking us with them through the valleys of Taiz. It's not long before we're confronted with the reality of this war. Speaker 7 (6:26) The sound of artillery echoes from afar, but the threat is very close. We Speaker 5 (6:34) can Speaker 7 (6:37) hear a drone above and we've been told that it's a Houthi drone, so we're just taking cover. Speaker 1 (6:43) Go up the pathway there and come straight down to the road to the cause. Okay, Speaker 6 (6:46) come on. Go, Speaker 7 (6:47) go, Speaker 6 (6:47) go, go. Speaker 7 (6:54) As we're leaving, we came across Ali, who's chosen to stay. He fears what would happen if the Houthis take over, and they're getting close. Speaker 6 (7:06) It's terrifying, but we can't afford to leave our home. Speaker 7 (7:11) Have they ever bombed close to your home? Speaker 3 (7:15) Yes, Speaker 1 (7:16) the shells fell here down the valley, behind the school. Speaker 7 (7:20) Aren't you afraid that any day they might take this area while you're here? Speaker 1 (7:26) It's in God's hands. Speaker 7 (7:28) Nestled in these mountains, the Houthis lie in wait. Their recent capture of Mokka and the Bab al-Mandab Strait has transformed this battle. Now they're pushing inland towards Taiz. If this city falls, their grip on the western coast will be much harder to reverse, and this war will be felt far beyond Yemen. The latest fighting has displaced more than 100,000 people to places like the El Mouni camp around 20 kilometres from the front line. In just 10 days, 200 families arrived. Speaker 7 (8:02) Most of them had been displaced before. It took Fatima two days to get here from Mokka. As the fighting closed in, her sons were forced to make an impossible decision, leaving her behind to save their children. I lost