CIRENCESTER, United Kingdom — Police in southwestern England arrested five men on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act near Royal Air Force Fairford on Sunday. Bomb disposal experts descended on the area, prompting the evacuation of residents from a nearby village.
Eighty-five households in Whelford, located approximately one mile from the base, were evacuated in the early hours of Sunday. Authorities established a police cordon and directed villagers to a leisure center in Cirencester.
The arrests followed an alert regarding suspicious vehicles near the base. Video footage showed a bomb disposal robot moving around vans at the scene.
One resident told AFP she had alerted emergency services after observing three vans blocking a road near Whelford and a group of men wearing hoods and balaclavas.
RAF Fairford serves as a key facility for U.S. military operations targeting Iran. In March, Britain granted the United States permission to use the air base for specific defensive operations into Iran aimed at destroying Iranian missiles.
Since March, U.S. bombers and military aircraft have been seen taking off from and landing at the airfield. The U.S. military previously utilized Fairford for operations during the Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War.
Local residents expressed concern over the base's increased activity. One evacuated resident described the situation as a "real shame" for her "lovely, small village." George Currie, a 20-year-old university student living in Cirencester, said residents of Fairford were likely "quite spooked" by the development.
Another resident, a dog-walker, said his wife had been "worried about threats to Fairford" and the news confirmed her fears. He noted that while the base is normally quiet, its use as a "bomber base is a bit worrying."
Local councillor Tristan Wilkinson confirmed to AFP that the base's activity has changed recently, citing U.S. military operations against Iran. Wilkinson said the local community and authorities have maintained heightened vigilance around the base in recent months.
