Five arrested in counter-terror operation near UK's RAF Fairford base
Five people have been arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act after three suspicious vehicles were spotted near RAF Fairford in England, a base also used by the US Air Force.
An emergency was declared early on Sunday, September 27, near the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Fairford, Gloucestershire, after three suspicious vehicles were spotted in the area, the BBC reports.
Several dozen households — reportedly around 85 — were evacuated from the nearby village of Welford and told they would not be able to return home overnight. A cordon roughly 400 metres wide was set up around the vehicles while an army bomb disposal team examined them. The operation was led by police counter-terrorism units, and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham was briefed on the situation.
RAF Fairford is also used by the US Air Force and has recently served as a staging point for American warplanes carrying out strikes on Iran.
Five suspects in custody
The men were initially detained by Gloucestershire Police on suspicion of an offence under the Explosives Act, with suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism added later. By Sunday evening all five suspects were in custody. US President Donald Trump said the detained individuals had intended to cause significant damage and had been under the surveillance of security services for some time before being caught.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he was in contact with his American counterpart, Pete Hegseth. Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense raised the alert level at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, another base hosting USAF fighter jets, to its second-highest tier.
Maggie Blyth of Gloucestershire Police told a Sunday evening press conference that the investigation was in its early stages but that she believed the situation was contained, adding that police were not searching for additional suspects. According to the BBC, the operation was not led by intelligence agencies.
Local residents said police were alerted early in the morning after vans were seen parked near the base along with a group of masked men. Several residents said they were woken and moved to a rest centre, while the Ministry of Defence has not commented on the incident.
