Five men arrested near RAF Fairford in suspected terror plot linked to Iran

Counter-terrorism police arrested five men near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after suspicious vehicles were spotted heading toward the base. Homes were evacuated and bomb disposal teams examined the vehicles.

Five men held near RAF Fairford in suspected explosives and terrorism investigation

British counter-terrorism police have taken over a major incident investigation after five men were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosive Substances Act and preparing for terrorist acts near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, newscord.org reports.

Police received a call at around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday warning of three suspicious vehicles apparently travelling toward the base. Armed officers detained the five men in the nearby Whelford area. A security perimeter of 400 metres was imposed around the vehicles, and approximately 85 homes were evacuated as a precaution while British Army bomb disposal teams examined the scene.

Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone confirmed officers acted on the call about the vehicles and that Counter Terrorism Policing had subsequently arrested the five men also "on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act." Vicki Evans, the national coordinator of counter-terrorism police, said: "We are in the early stages of an investigation and five men remain detained." Authorities had not publicly specified what materials were found in the vehicles.

Investigators are examining several lines of inquiry, including whether the alleged plot had any connection to Iran, a Russian sabotage operation, or an Islamist extremist group. Britain's The Telegraph reported that Iran is currently the most prominent line of inquiry, with well-informed sources cited as saying an Iranian-linked motive remains the most likely. The report linked the hypothesis to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps having previously threatened to target RAF Fairford in July, describing it as a legitimate target if used in operations against Iran. The base has been used by the U.S. Air Force in operations against Iranian targets.

Arab Times, however, stressed that police have not publicly connected the case to Iran, and CBC framed an Iranian-linked motive as the most likely without stating it as established fact.

U.S. President Donald Trump said the suspects had been under surveillance for a "long time" and told reporters they had been looking to cause "serious damage" to the military facility. Trump also praised cooperation between British and American authorities. The U.S. Embassy in the UK urged American citizens to "exercise caution and be mindful of personal security" following the arrests.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the incident as "deeply worrying" for local residents and urged people not to speculate while authorities worked to establish the full facts. A number of properties in the Whelford village area were evacuated following the declaration of a major incident, Gloucestershire Police confirmed.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)