Five people arrested near Fairford Air Force Base for explosives-related crimes

The British police arrested five individuals suspected of having committed crimes related to the Explosives Law this Sunday morning in the town of Whelford, without clarifying details of their activities at the moment. A team of bomb squads has moved to the area to begin inspecting a series of vehicles.

"At around 12:45 [13:45 in Spanish peninsular time], the police received a call warning of the presence of three suspicious vehicles heading towards the Fairford base. Armed officers responded immediately, and arrested five individuals," explained Richard Ocone, the deputy commissioner of Gloucestershire Police, under whose jurisdiction the scene of the incident is located.

At mid-morning, images broadcast from helicopters flying over the place showed an artificial intelligence robot approaching three white vans parked on a small county road to inspect them.

The cordoned off place is very close to the Fairford military air base, where the Royal Air Force (RAF) operates, and the authorities have decided to declare what happened as a “serious incident” (or emergency situation), the alert level that allows a special operation to be deployed.

Neighbors in the area have been evacuated from their homes and transferred to a municipal center while the investigation continues. The police, however, have assured that the situation is under control. The anti-terrorist unit has taken charge of the investigation, as reported by the British Government.

The Fairford military base has been used by US military fighter jets as part of their war operation against Iran, which began on February 28. Although at first the British Government of the previous Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, denied the Donald Trump Administration authorization for the use of its bases, in a subsequent decision it gave the green light to this use as long as it was for carrying out defensive actions.

A large emergency team, with police cars, ambulances and vehicles for the treatment of hazardous materials, has traveled to the area.

A spokesperson for the United States Air Force (USAF) has assured that its personnel installed at the base "remain vigilant." “The 501st Combat Support Wing [the USAF administrative unit permanently based in Fairford] remains vigilant, and we will take appropriate measures for the safety of our soldiers, as well as the civilians, contractors and family members who reside there,” said the aforementioned spokesperson.