Major incident near British air base: five arrests

British police declared a “major incident” on Sunday September 27 and evacuated homes near a military base in the west of the United Kingdom used by the American air force, after arresting five people suspected of breaches of explosives legislation. Bomb squads are “currently inspecting several vehicles”, Gloucestershire Police said in a statement. Counter-terrorism police have been put in charge of the investigation, British media reported.

A security perimeter has been set up and police believe that the incident near the Royal Air Force base in Fairford has been “contained”. In March, then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorized “defensive” US actions against Iranian missile sites from two British bases, including Fairford.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being kept informed of the situation, a government spokesperson said. “We are grateful to the emergency services, who acted quickly to arrest several suspects and put in place measures to ensure the safety of the population,” said the spokesperson. “It would be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing,” he added.

According to media reports, significant emergency resources have been deployed in the area, including a team specializing in interventions in dangerous environments. “Several properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident,” Gloucestershire Police said. Several men were arrested “for suspected offenses under the explosives law,” police added.

Residents of the nearby village of Whelford were evacuated to a nearby leisure center, according to the BBC. This town is right next to the Fairford Royal Air Force base, also used by the United States Air Force.

Fairford is the British base for the 501st Combat Support Wing, an administrative support unit of the United States Air Force. Personnel on site “will remain vigilant and take appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. military, civilians, contractors and their families,” according to a statement.

Constituency MP Roz Savage described the situation as “concerning”. “I contacted the police to obtain further information and was told that the incident was considered contained,” she said on X.