Iran link to RAF bomb plot

King blocked from contacting Ranulph Fiennes | Sleep red flags that put you at risk of dementia

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Monday, 28 September 2026 Issue No. 582

Good morning. Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether Iran was behind a suspected bomb plot targeting a Royal Air Force base used by the US military. RAF Fairford, a key US air force outpost in Europe, has been used by American aircraft to carry out defensive strikes on Iran. Will Bolton, our Crime Correspondent, reports. Elsewhere, Gordon Rayner, our Associate Editor, brings you another exclusive on Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The Telegraph has learned that the King was blocked from contacting Fiennes by Louise Millington-Cotes, his wife and legal guardian. His Majesty was alerted to the explorer’s declining health and isolation and was “most concerned”. Chris Evans, Editor P.S. We’re giving you a whole year of The Telegraph for just £29. If you’re already a subscriber, make sure you’re logged in to read today’s stories.   In today’s edition ‘If Burnham doesn’t want an election, he should stop talking about it’ — ‘We will turn Putin’s new foot soldiers into stewed meat’ — Plus, the sleep red flags that put you at risk of dementia

Try 1 year for just £29 Unlock this newsletter, plus full access to our website and app for less than £2.50 a month. Claim your offer   Counter-terror police investigate Iran link to suspected RAF base bomb plot The group of suspects are filmed during their arrest Will Bolton Crime Correspondent   Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether Iran was behind a suspected bomb plot targeting a Royal Air Force (RAF) base used by US forces. Five men were arrested yesterday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences after being stopped metres from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Security at the base had reportedly been stepped up to its highest level in recent days. Civilian staff were told not to come in and heavily armoured vehicles were placed in front of entrances. Military tractors barricade entrances to the base Despite that, it appears the plot was only disrupted at the last minute after police received a 999 call from a farmer who came across the men acting suspiciously near the base. She told The Telegraph: “Thank God we spotted them.” RAF Fairford is a key US air force outpost in Europe and has been used by American aircraft involved in defensive strikes against Iran. Police are believed to be examining several possible motives, including a Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot. However, an Iran-linked motive is currently considered the most probable. Almost 100 houses were evacuated yesterday and a large police cordon remained in the Whelford area. This report is available only to subscribers. Continue reading ➤ Face-to-face with ‘bomb plotters’: Farmer tells of 999 call after stumbling on masked men ➤ Hamish de Bretton-Gordon: RAF Fairford is a warning to Britain ➤   Exclusive: King blocked from contacting Ranulph Fiennes by explorer’s wife Gordon Rayner Associate Editor   The King tried to check on Sir Ranulph Fiennes’s wellbeing but was blocked from doing so by the explorer’s wife, The Telegraph has learnt. His Majesty, a friend of Fiennes for decades, was alerted to his declining health and isolation by another adventurer, and was “most concerned” by what he was told, one of his staff said at the time. The King’s equerry contacted the person who had written the letter to ask how the King could get in touch with Fiennes, and was given a phone number for Louise Millington-Cotes, his wife and legal guardian. The friend who supplied the number to the Palace thought Fiennes would be “thrilled” to know that the King cared so much about him. Millington-Cotes, however, was angry that the Palace had been given her details, and threatened the intermediary with a solicitor and the police, claiming they were causing her husband “immense distress” and telling them to “back off”. It is understood that Millington-Cotes declined to put the King in touch with her husband. She told friends that the King hated her husband and that Queen Camilla had helicopters flown over their property, it is alleged. For subscribers only ➤   Opinion Christopher Williams Burnham’s Heathrow retreat has provoked despair, not hope The PM is tossing one of the few national controversies that Starmer exercised some leadership on Continue reading ➤     Oliver Brown Ireland’s performative nonsense at Israel match was disconcertingly odd Continue reading ➤     Dominic Lawson De Gaulle’s daughter revealed a different side to an extraordinary man Continue reading ➤   To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. In other news • Andy Burnham has refused to back plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport in a break with previous government enthusiasm for the £49bn scheme. • Labour has been accused of threatening property rights after giving councils the power to seize empty homes after six months. It is also exploring ways to make officials more likely to use the powers. • Lithuania and Poland are preparing evacuation plans in the event of a Russian attack. Moscow has increasingly been testing Nato’s resolve by ramping up covert attacks on bordering countries. • Thousands of protesters blocked a controversial Orange Order march through a Catholic neighbourhood in Portadown, Northern Ireland, yesterday in a standoff that stretched into the night. • An “eyesore” clifftop sculpture that cost £54,000 has been described as a waste of money by angry Bournemouth residents. The art installation has been erected to “reflect the town’s seaside identity”.   Your essential reads ‘If Burnham doesn’t want an election, he should stop talking about it’ Andy Burnham insists an early election is off the table. His policy agenda tells a rather different story. Plans for an NHS-style care service have exposed how Labour’s 2024 manifesto constrains the Prime Minister – while inviting colleagues to question why its pledges should bind them today. Tony Diver, our Political Editor, unpicks the contradiction at the heart of Burnham’s conference pitch, and the danger of sketching out a second-term prospectus before securing control of his first. Continue reading ➤ Burnham urged to fund social care by scrapping triple lock ➤ Camilla Tominey and Bridget Phillipson go head-to-head at Labour conference ➤   Robert Brodvi, Ukraine’s drone chief ‘We will turn Putin’s new foot soldiers into stewed meat’ Our journey to meet Robert Brovdi began with a rendezvous on the street in eastern Ukraine, writes Antonia Langford. We handed over our phones, which were sealed in Faraday pouches, before climbing into an SUV with blacked-out windows. It stopped at a secret location, where we were ushered into a command post deep underground. When he arrived, Brovdi was disarming, dispensing Fortnum & Mason tea around the room while alternating chilling promises to turn Russian soldiers into “stewed meat” with witty quips about British drone strategy, which he likened to mixing San Miguel beer with Fortnum’s tea. Continue reading ➤   Strictly’s new ‘throuple’ is an utter disaster As has been the custom for many, many years, I have dutifully devoted the tail end of my September to thinking about Strictly Come Dancing, writes Chris Bennion. Having seen the opening two episodes of this year’s edition, I can say with some certainty that the new presenting trio is not working. The roles aren’t clearly defined, nor is the hierarchy. It’s a utopian, democratic mess, the cool live-TV expertise of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman replaced by the wide-eyed innocence of this curious threesome. How the BBC will extricate itself from this throuple is a mystery. Continue reading ➤   Nick Mohammed: ‘I want Jerry Hall to win Celebrity Traitors’ Alan Carr may have won the last series of Celebrity Traitors, but Nick Mohammed emerged as the surprise star. Funny, quick-witted and warm, he also proved astonishingly adept on a high wire. Here, he talks to Chris Harvey about the forthcoming series, as well as Slow Horses and War, his glossy new drama. Continue reading ➤   Seize the day The sleep red flags that put you at risk of dementia Michael Ryan feared his mother was developing Alzheimer’s when, at the age of 66, she began forgetting words and losing her train of thought. The real culprit emerged only after he heard her gasping for breath while asleep, and treating it restored her cognition within months. Her remarkable recovery exposes an overlooked connection between what happens overnight and the ageing brain. Here are five nocturnal warning signs that could foreshadow dementia, from recurring nightmares to acting out dreams. Continue reading ➤   Money Clinic How to shield your savings from the Budget Every Monday between now and the Budget, this newsletter will bring you useful guides to ensure you are financially fit for the announcement. Joe Wright Senior Money Writer   Your money is nestled away in a savings account, so it must be safe, right? Well, not necessarily when it comes to Labour. The Government has already proved that it has no qualms about coming after your nest egg, and savers could remain an easy target for John Healey, the Chancellor, as he looks to raise cash in next month’s Budget. A controversial Isa shake-up is already confirmed for next April, along with a tax raid on income from savings interest, but further reforms could be on the cards. Labour could be tempted to tinker with the personal savings allowance, or consider reducing other Isa allowances. As is the custom in today’s high-tax Britain, any changes will most likely take from your nest egg rather than give. Regardless of what happens, we’ve put together a thorough guide on how best to shield your savings from the taxman in the lead-up to Oct 28. You can read it here ➤   Your say Memories of Balerno In last week’s Pride of Place column, Michael Deacon rolled back the years with his memories of Balerno, his hometown. Today, he’s standing in for Orlando Bird to pull out the best of your responses. Michael writes... Thank you very much for all your replies to my piece about Balerno, Edinburgh. It was great to hear from so many people who knew it well.   Roger Geoffrey Clark noted how unusual it is for a British place name to end in “o”. As it happens, “Balerno” is derived from a Gaelic phrase that doesn’t end in “o”: “Baile irneach”, which means “town of the hawthorns”. Balerno is actually a village, not a town, but perhaps after 700 years, it’s a bit late for a name change.   Joyce Denny says she grew up in Currie, the next village along. I’m sure she, and indeed the entire nation, will be excited to learn that the local journal, The Currie & Balerno News, had the privilege of running my first-ever piece of published writing: a poem summarising the plot of Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burns, which I wrote when I was eight years old. God, I was an insufferable child.   Speaking of which: Patsy Millar of Helensburgh says Balerno is where she did her first teaching practice. Luckily for her, she never had to teach me, and so was spared my inexplicable and wildly misspelt attempts to rewrite Burns.   Someone who, unlike me, was capable of appreciating Balerno’s beauty in childhood is Ann Watt of Kirkcaldy. Her parents bought a bungalow there, and as a teenager she used to enjoy long walks across the Pentland Hills. I took a nostalgic stroll up there myself when I was visiting in May, and they truly are glorious. Although even better in winter, when covered in dazzling snow.   Still, I don’t need to tell Marna Hawkins that, because in the 1960s she spent several Christmases in Balerno, at the home of her uncle – and her chief memory is of walking through the snowy Pentlands on Christmas morning. What a vision that is. Makes me wish I was back there now. Let me know if any more memories spring to mind here. Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name.   On this day 1894 | Simon Marks and Tom Spencer open their first Penny Bazaar in Manchester 1928 | Britain passes the Dangerous Drugs Act, outlawing cannabis 1985 | Brixton riots take place after the shooting of Dorothy Groce by the Met Police (see our front page from the following day below) 2022 | The Bank of England is forced to step in to calm markets after Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget drives the pound to its lowest level against the US dollar of close to $1.03 Birthdays: Hilary Duff (39), Bam Margera (47), Naomi Watts (58), Jon Snow (79) Plus, in the news this week, a British food manufacturer has sounded the alarm over how weight-loss jabs are affecting sales of a classic pastry. Which is it? 1. Cornish pasties 2. Pork pies 3. Sausage rolls Click one of the options to reveal the answer...   Puzzles Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.   Yesterday’s Panagram was PARTITION. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle.   Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk. Try 1 year for just £29 Unlock this newsletter, plus full access to our website and app for less than £2.50 a month. Claim your offer

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