British police said Sunday morning that they had arrested several men in a village near RAF Fairford, where large numbers of U.S. Air Force personnel are stationed and which was also used by the force for strikes on Iran.
Police said the suspects were arrested on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act, while a British Army bomb disposal team was called to the area to examine several vehicles, apparently over suspicions that they could be car bombs. Security was also stepped up at the sensitive base amid the arrests.
British police arrest men for explosives offenses after increasing security at air force base
(Video: Toby Shepheard/Reuters)
Sunday morning’s arrest operation took place in the village of Whelford, very close to RAF Fairford, and residents were reportedly evacuated from several buildings in the village. British police described the incident as “unusual,” but shortly after the first reports emerged said it was “under control.”
The identities of those arrested remain unknown, and authorities have not explicitly said whether the base was the target of a terrorist plot. Witnesses, however, said security around the facility had been visibly and significantly increased in recent days.
RAF Fairford is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron. According to the unit’s website, the base serves as the “preferred forward operating location for bombers in Europe” for U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command.
During the latest U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, several American aircraft took off from the base for strike missions against the Islamic Republic, although those operations were very limited. The British government allowed the U.S. military to use the base only for strikes against Iranian missile sites.
British police arrest men for explosives offenses after increasing security at air force base
(Photo: Reuters)
Security at RAF Fairford has been significantly tightened in recent days, with roadblocks and armed police preventing access to the base and emergency vehicles stationed nearby. A U.S. Air Force spokesperson told Reuters that officials were aware of the current reports but would not discuss specific force protection measures at the base.
“We remain vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of U.S. military personnel, civilians, contractors and their families,” the spokesperson said.
The circumstances surrounding the current security incident at RAF Fairford remain unclear. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) previously warned Britain that the base would be targeted if U.S. bombers continued flying from there to carry out strikes in Iran.
“Any base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory is a legitimate target for our forces,” the IRGC said in July.
A US B-1 Lancer strategic bomber takes off from Fairford Air Force Base
(Photo: Alastair Grant/AP)
That same month, according to a report in The Telegraph, Iran launched an unprecedented cyberattack against Britain that knocked a power station offline for four days.
Witnesses and British media reports said security measures at RAF Fairford had been significantly increased in recent days. Roadblocks were set up near the base, armed police staffed them and prevented access, while emergency vehicles were stationed nearby. Around 30 emergency vehicles were also seen around the base Sunday morning, including ambulances and fire engines.
Airbase in Fairford, UK
(Photo: Jack Taylor/Reuters)
Britain’s Daily Mail reported that a “Delta” alert had been declared at RAF Fairford, the highest threat level the U.S. Department of Defense can impose, although there has so far been no confirmation of that report.
The newspaper also reported that security had simultaneously been increased at other U.S. bases in Britain, while RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk was placed on “Charlie” alert, the second-highest threat level.