Five British Nationals Held Near RAF Fairford as Police Probe Possible Iran Link
Five British men in their 20s were arrested after three vans were stopped near RAF Fairford, where suspected explosives were found. Iran denies involvement.
Police were holding five men on Monday and examining suspected explosives discovered near a US-operated air force base in England, as counterterror detectives investigated whether the arrests foiled an attempted attack linked to Iran.
The men were detained early Sunday after three vans were spotted travelling toward RAF Fairford, a UK-owned base that has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East. Residents of 85 homes in the nearby village of Whelford were evacuated on Sunday, and army bomb-disposal experts used a robot to examine the three white vans. Villagers had not been able to return home as of Monday morning, and the vehicles had not yet been moved.
The suspects, who have not been named, were initially held over suspected explosives offences and later also arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism. Police said the men are all British nationals from London and in their 20s. They can be held in custody for up to 14 days before they must be charged or released.
Investigators have not concluded whether the incident was a state-backed attack. They are examining a possible link to Iran, Russia or non-state-backed militant groups. RAF Fairford has also previously been the focus of protests by anti-war campaigners.
Iran denied involvement, with its embassy in London saying it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations" about the incident.
US President Donald Trump said the arrests followed cooperation between the United States and Britain, and that the suspects had been "under view" for some time. UK police, however, said the arrests were triggered by a late-night call about "suspicious vehicles" near the base.
The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions around the threat from hostile states, with British intelligence services saying Russia and Iran have both used proxies to commit crimes on British soil.