Police arrest several men near UK airbase used by US forces

British police arrested several men on suspicion of explosives offences Sunday and evacuated homes near RAF Fairford, an airbase used by U.S. forces for strikes on Iran. Bomb disposal specialists were examining several vehicles, but authorities had not said whether the arrests were connected to the base.

Gloucestershire Police declared a major incident in Whelford, a village close to the base in southwestern England. “A number of properties are currently being evacuated,” the force said after the arrests, which it described as being “on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act.”

“The Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team are currently examining a number of vehicles,” police added. A cordon was established, and evacuated residents were taken to a nearby leisure centre. Police said they believed the incident was “contained.”

There was no immediate information about what prompted the arrests or whether any explosives had been found. Authorities have not linked the arrests to Iran or said RAF Fairford was a target.

A Reuters reporter at the scene saw armed police blocking access to the base’s main gate and equipment placed in front of entry points, Al Jazeera reported. The outlet said about 30 emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances and fire engines, were stationed in nearby Fairford.

Security at the airbase had increased significantly in recent days, Reuters reported. An eyewitness quoted by the news agency described more roadblocks and armed police restricting access, according to CBS News.

The U.S. Air Force said it was aware of reports about the incident but declined to discuss specific security measures. “The 501st Combat Support Wing and our fellow UK-based Wings remain vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families,” a spokesperson said before the police statement, according to NBC News. The spokesperson added that the Air Force continually assesses which measures to put in place or change to protect its installations and people.

RAF Fairford has been used by U.S. forces during the war with Iran. In March, Britain’s then-prime minister, Keir Starmer, gave the United States permission to use British bases for “specific and limited defensive” operations against Iran, NBC News reported. CBS News said the British government allowed U.S. forces to use Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb. 28. Al Jazeera reported that three U.S. B-1B Lancer bombers landed at Fairford in March after what was believed to be the first U.S. strike mission against Iran launched from a British base.

In July, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that “any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target,” Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported, citing bomber flights from Fairford, according to NBC News. A British government spokesperson said at the time that the country was “ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it’s on our soil or from abroad.”