Five arrested as counter-terror police investigate major incident near RAF Fairford
Five men have been arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and explosive offences after three "suspicious vehicles" were reported travelling towards an RAF base, police have said.
Five men have been arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and explosive offences following reports of three suspicious vehicles near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, police have stated. A major incident was declared, resulting in the evacuation of numerous homes in the vicinity. An Army explosive ordnance disposal team has been examining the vehicles, while counter-terror police are leading the investigation.
The incident occurred around 00:45 BST on Sunday, and residents of the nearby village of Whelford were told they would not be able to return home that night. Police have placed a 400m cordon around the area and deployed a hazardous area response team. The Prime Minister was kept informed of the "deeply concerning" situation, and the site, which shares a long history with the American military, has been used by US warplanes for defensive strikes on Iran.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has been in contact with his US counterpart regarding the matter. The probe is still in its early stages, and the five men remain in custody.
Written by urgent.news from Capital FM Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 3 other outlets
- RAF Fairford probe: 5 arrested at UK airbase used by US forces — what we know and why Iran is in focus gulfnews.com
- Five arrested as counter-terror police investigate major incident near RAF Fairford capitalfm.africa
- UK Police arrest 5 after ‘major incident’ at Fairford airbase used by US dailytimes.com.pk
