British counterterrorism police are reportedly investigating possible links to Iran over a suspected bombing plot against a Royal Air Force base used by the United States during its military operations against the Islamist regime in Tehran.
Authorities declared a major incident on Sunday, evacuating 85 households near the RAF Fairford base in Gloucestershire after five men were arrested in the early hours of the morning on suspected explosives charges.
Police arrested them in three separate vans after a local resident near the British air base flagged them as suspicious. The five men were then further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack.
According to a report from The Times of London, counterterrorism police detectives are investigating whether there was any Iranian involvement in the attack, given its role in America’s Operation Epic Fury earlier this year.
While former UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer initially refused the Trump administration access to British bases for military actions against Iran, he later agreed in March to allow U.S. military forces to use British bases for “defensive purposes” in the context of the Iran conflict.
Four American bombers reportedly used RAF Fairford, including to attack Iranian missile targets that had launched attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the terror-backing Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that any base used in America’s operations should be considered a legitimate target for strikes.
However, authorities stressed that the investigation is in its infancy, and that they are also considering the possibility of non-state actors being behind the apparent attempted attack on the air base.
Commenting on the incident, the national co-ordinator at Counter Terrorism Policing, Vicki Evans, said: “We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody. As you would expect we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident.
“We continue to work with Gloucestershire police to keep the community safe as we work to gather evidence from the scene. A 400m cordon has been put in place around the vehicles while the army’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit conduct examinations. As a precaution, around 85 households have been evacuated whilst these examinations take place.”
The assistant chief constable at Gloucestershire police, Richard Ocone, added: “The emergency services have well-rehearsed plans for dealing with major incidents. A cordon is in place as a precaution and the public can expect to see an emergency services presence in the area for some time.
“A nearby leisure centre has been opened to provide a safe space for anyone evacuated and unable to go to friends or relatives. We’d like to thank the residents who have left their homes this morning for their understanding and support. We appreciate the disruption this will have caused and would like to reassure them we are working as quickly as we can to get them back in their properties. We would ask the public not to speculate but to follow official channels for updates.”
Given its close relationship with the United States, the United Kingdom has long been a top target of terrorists with ties to the Iranian regime.
Last year, Director General of Britain’s Security Service (MI5), Ken McCallum, revealed that between January 2022 and October 2024, British authorities responded to 20 Iranian-backed terror plots on Britain and its citizens.
For its part, the United States Air Force said that its personnel at RAF Fairford will “remain vigilant” but said that for “operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measures.”
“We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families,” they added.
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