The local media has noted that American warplanes have been using RAF Fairford to conduct strikes on Iran<\/p>\n
The UK authorities have apprehended five men on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack outside RAF Fairford, a British air base that also hosts US warplanes involved in strikes on Iran.
\nAccording to a statement by Gloucestershire Police Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone on Sunday, police received \u201ca call relating to three suspicious vehicles travelling towards RAF Fairford.\u201d The local media later described the vehicles as three white vans.
\nOfficers arriving at the scene subsequently arrested five individuals near the village of Whelford \u201con suspicion of committing offenses under the Explosives Act,\u201d with Counter Terror Police investigating what officials characterized as a \u201cmajor incident.\u201d
\nThe BBC published an unverified photo purportedly showing the arrested suspects sitting half-naked on the ground with their hands behind their backs and faces blurred.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Trump expects to keep launching strikes on Iran from British bases \u2013 Telegraph<\/p>\n
A British Army bomb disposal unit was deployed to the scene to examine the vehicles, with approximately 85 households evacuated as a precaution, Ocone told reporters. Several British media outlets have carried what appears to be helicopter footage depicting a specialized wheeled robot operating near the vans.
\nLocal residents who have nowhere else to stay have been provided temporary shelter inside a leisure center.
\nCommenting on the incident in a post on X, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged \u201cpeople not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.\u201d
\nLater on Sunday, Gloucestershire Constabulary\u2019s Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth gave an update, saying that the authorities believe the \u201cmatter to be contained.\u201d However, she declined to reveal whether the police were looking for any more suspects.
\nShe also clarified that local residents would be unable to return to their homes tonight.
\nMeanwhile, Sky News claimed that while there are \u201cno conclusions yet,\u201d the police are looking into Iran\u2019s potential involvement in the suspected bomb plot, among several other lines of inquiry, with Reuters carrying a similar report.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Iran captures another US spy drone in Hormuz (VIDEO)<\/p>\n
The US Air Force has operated out of RAF Fairford for decades, with heavy bombers stationed there, including those used in strikes on Iran.
\nBack in July, Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps issued a statement warning the UK specifically that \u201cany base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory is a legitimate target for our forces.\u201d
\nCommenting on Sunday\u2019s incident, a US military spokesperson told local media that the Pentagon was \u201cworking closely with our UK counterparts to monitor this situation.\u201d
\nUS President Donald Trump, for his part, told reporters that the suspects \u201cwere looking to do big damage to our fort.\u201d
\n\u201cWe had them under investigation\u2026 We had them under view for a long time, and we got them,\u201d he claimed, adding that \u201cworking with Britain \u2013 it was an amazing job.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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