Behind the scenes of SAS headquarters where UK’s most elite killers are deployed

THIS is the top secret army base where the UK’s most elite killers can be deployed at a minute’s notice.

The headquarters of the Special Air Service (SAS) regiment, feared by terrorists and rogue militia around the world, sits deep in rural Herefordshire.

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Today, their James Bond style base is home to the elite Blue Thunder squad and shrouded in mystique.

Now a civilian with knowledge of the shadowy site has spoken to The Sun about life behind the barbed wire.

He said: “So a key area has to the motorpool. It’s like a big garage with helicopters parked outside.

“So this is the Blue Thunder hub from where they are sent out on heavy jobs, like the taxi bomber in Liverpool.

“The lads that work here are all on pagers – so one will be allowed to be 24 hours from the motorpool, and another will be on one hour’s notice. Another will be a few minute’s away.

“So there is a big table full of uniforms – they can dress up as coppers or other emergency workers. They tend to normally dress as police.”

The covert unit uses a fleet of Dauphin helicopters, marked in blue and white, which appear to the untrained eye as civilian choppers.

Blue Thunder, on the front line of the UK’s war on terror, and can be deployed anywhere in the UK to respond to a critical incident.

Photographs released to the Mirror at the time showed the SAS in a Liverpool street after Al Swealmeen, 32, set of a homemade device in a taxi outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

The Hereford local, who is regular visitor to SAS headquarters, said: “So yes they were sent to Liverpool after the hospital bombing.

“They had to go through the door of addresses linked to the suicide bomber. Obviously that is particularly high risk work.

“Local forces have counter-terror units but in these situations you need SAS.

“I remember hearing the conditions inside one of the properties they searched were absolutely horrendous.

“They were also in the loop after the murder of Jo Cox MP. They were not sent out on that job, but they were kept informed as to what was going on, just in case they were needed.”

They often dress as coppers but are given away by their non-police issue firearms.

The man added: “You could normally differentiate the police from the SAS , because the special forces tend to use Diemaco.

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“That is their weapon of choice.”

The dad, an expert in his chosen field, said that the popular image of the SAS as an action man type hero was a bit off the mark.

He said: “Don’t get me wrong they are trained killers, but they are also experts in technology, surveillance and intelligence.

“They have a stunning skill set.”

He said recruitment to the SAS had changed a bit due to the British Army’s exposure to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over
recent decades.

He said: “The recruits used to come in a bit green from the Marines and Paras. But now many of them are coming in as battle hardened
soldiers.

“They have seen it all out in Afghanistan and have clocked up scores of kills.”

He also revealed the SAS have a presence in central London which few knew about.

“Yes there is one famous tourist attraction in London where the SAS have a secret presence,” added the source.

“They seem to have full security clearance and can go wherever they want.

“They are armed and I think the view is that that it’s great to have them there in case of a major security incident in the capital. “

The shadowy unit has been spotted on the UK’s streets after major terror incidents, such as the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.

Members of the SAS were sent to the scene to hunt for associates of evil bomber Salman Abedi.

A Blue Thunder chopper was spotted landing near London Bridge after the 2017 Borough Market terror attack when eight innocent victims were murdered.

Nearby offices, including The Sun, went into lockdown as the area was sealed off.

Members of the SAS , said to be hunting for one of the attackers, carried out a forced entry into Southwark Cathedral.

Despite the sensitivity around the base its still visible on Google Street View and on Google Earth.

Street View provides a view of the entrance and perimeter fence, while Earth provides a birds eye view of the layout.

The famous regiment, founded in 1941, was seared into the public’s consciousness in 1980 when a crack unit stormed the Iranian Embassy in London, bringing a hostage siege to an end.

The footage, which showed armed figures in black climbing across the front of the building, were some of the most dramatic ever seen on British television.

The daring rescue was given the greenlight by then PM Margaret Thatcher after an official was murdered.

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