British police arrested five men on Sunday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses near a British airbase used by long-range bombers from the United States in the war against Iran.
Dozens of nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution while an Army bomb disposal unit was called to the scene, and an investigation is underway.
Gloucestershire County Detective Inspector Richard O’Korn said the arrests were made after a tip-off from a resident in the area shortly after midnight. The men have not been identified and there are no clues as to a possible motive.
Counter-terrorism police chief Vicki Evans confirmed: “We are at the early stages of the investigation and five men are still in custody. As you can imagine, we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident.”
Counter-terrorism police said that in addition to being charged with explosives offenses, the men were also “further arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts”. Counter-terrorism laws allow British police to detain suspects for up to 14 days before charging them.
US President Donald Trump called the arrests “excellent” and said the US and UK had been investigating the men for a “long time”.
“Working with Britain has been a great job,” Trump told reporters in Chicago. “They were trying to do great damage to our forts, but our cooperation with the British was successful.”
“We’ve been watching them for a long time, and we captured them,” he said.
However, multiple British media outlets including the BBC, Guardian and Telegraph, citing sources, reported that the operation was not intelligence-led, suggesting that local vigilance may have played a key role in alerting authorities.
One resident, who requested anonymity, told CNN that she was driving home with her husband around 1:30 a.m. Sunday when she noticed three vans blocking her driveway, which she said was “strange.”
He then saw a group of about eight to 10 masked people running away and tried to call the Ministry of Defense phone number given to residents in the area around the base.
But when there was no response, she called the police.
She then told CNN that she sent a message to the village’s Whatsapp group warning about the incident.
On Monday morning, British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the woman who made the emergency call in an interview with Sky News.
However, he added, “With all due respect, I only have a partial image of her,” without going into details.
The US Embassy in London warned Americans living in the UK to “exercise caution and be mindful of their personal safety” following the arrest.
Aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot wandering among three white vans in the woods near the base. The rear doors of two of the vans were open and large black objects could be seen scattered around.
A CNN team standing near the perimeter fence at Fairford Air Force Base on Sunday evening heard what sounded like two controlled explosions coming from the direction of Wellford.
Earlier, Gloucestershire Police told reporters: “The military’s explosive ordnance disposal unit continues to search three vehicles near the village.” CNN has contacted the UK Ministry of Defense for comment.
The Daily Mail published a video purporting to show several people arrested at the scene early Sunday morning local time. They appear to be shirtless with their arms folded behind their backs.
Local residents told CNN they heard helicopters over Welford at 2am, and bomb squad vehicles arrived about an hour later.
The village is near the Royal Air Force base in Fairford, used by the US B-1 bombers involved in the attack on Iran, and a forward operating base for the US Global Strike Force, which is tasked with managing long-range attacks.
“For operational security reasons, we do not discuss specific force protection measures,” a US Air Force spokesperson in Fairford, where the 501st Combat Support Wing is based, told CNN.
The force “remains vigilant and will take appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of U.S. military members, civilians, contractors, and their families,” the spokesperson said.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Sunday thanked emergency services for their support and the understanding of local residents as “precautionary testing is carried out”.
“We know that today’s incident near Fairford Air Force Base is deeply concerning to many people, both locally and in the wake of developments across the country,” Burnham wrote in a post on X.
Earlier on Sunday, a government spokesperson said the prime minister had received updates on the incident.
“We are grateful to emergency services who acted quickly to detain several suspects and take steps to keep the community safe,” the spokesperson said.
“Due to the ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said: “I can rest assured that this problem is being dealt with, which is why our emergency response teams and armed forces are on standby 24/7.”
Britain’s PA media news agency quoted Streeting as saying the incident was a reminder of “the threats this country faces on a daily basis.”
One local resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, told PA media that security measures had been stepped up around the base in recent weeks.
“They went over all the gates and set up very heavy vehicles…like very large tractors,” the resident said.
Another resident told CNN that the base appeared to have been on lockdown recently. “It’s been like a ghost town all week,” they said.
In March, the British government gave the US Air Force permission to use the Fairford to carry out attacks on Iranian missile bases used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Months later, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a warning about allowing US bombers to fly from British bases, Britain announced its military was ready to defend the country from any attack.
A government spokesperson said: “Our armed forces stand ready to protect the UK from all types of attacks, whether on our own territory or from overseas. The UK stands ready 24/7 to protect itself.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
