Police evacuate homes and make explosives arrests near RAF Fairford

British police evacuated homes and arrested several men on suspicion of explosives offences on Sunday near RAF Fairford, an airbase in southwest England used by US forces for military operations linked to the war with Iran.

Gloucestershire Police declared a major incident in Whelford, near the base, and said Army explosive ordnance disposal specialists were examining several vehicles. Residents from a number of properties were taken to a nearby leisure centre.

“A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident,” police said, adding that the arrests were made on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act.

Police said a cordon remained in place but that they believed the incident was contained. Authorities had not said what type of suspected explosive material prompted the investigation or disclosed the identities of those arrested. Crucially, police had not confirmed that the arrests were connected to RAF Fairford itself.

A Reuters witness said armed officers were preventing access to the airbase’s main gate. Around 30 emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances and fire engines, were stationed in Fairford, while emergency crews were also gathered at the town’s youth football club.

RAF Fairford hosts US Air Force personnel and has taken on increased military importance during the conflict with Iran.

Britain granted the United States permission earlier this year to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for what the government described as “specific and limited defensive” operations against Iranian missile facilities. In an April parliamentary answer, the Ministry of Defence said the permission covered operations to destroy Iranian missiles and launchers at source.

The British government later confirmed that the arrangement included US operations against missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Security around Fairford had already been increased before Sunday’s arrests. A US Air Force spokesperson said the service would not discuss specific force-protection measures but that the 501st Combat Support Wing and other US units based in Britain remained vigilant.

“We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families,” the spokesperson said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had previously warned Britain against allowing US bombers to operate from Fairford during the conflict. Britain said in July that its armed forces were prepared to protect the country against any attack.

The arrests also come during heightened British concern about threats to military sites and critical infrastructure, although authorities have not publicly linked Sunday’s incident to Iran, Russia or any foreign state.

British ministers have separately warned infrastructure operators about possible sabotage and cyber activity attributed to Russia. Moscow denies conducting hybrid attacks against Western countries.

Police said the investigation in Whelford was continuing while Army specialists examined the vehicles inside the cordoned area. No injuries had been reported in the initial police and media accounts.