Men suspected of carrying explosives near U.K. military base released on bail

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Counter Terrorism Policing in Britain say the five men arrested on suspicion of carrying explosives near a military base used by the U.S. Air Force are all British nationals in their 20s.

The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions around the threat from hostile states, with British intelligence services saying Russia and Iran have both used proxies to commit crimes on British soil.

The men were arrested Sunday morning in Whelford, in western England, close to RAF Fairford, a British base that has been used by the U.S. military to carry out air strikes on Iran. The men were arrested after reports of three vehicles travelling toward the airbase at 12:45 a.m. on Sunday. All five were released on bail Monday afternoon.

“To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry,” said Laurence Taylor, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing.

Terrorism arrests made at RAF base

Five men are in custody on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences after a major incident near an airbase that has been used by the U.S. military to ​strike Iran

RAF Fairford

800m

U.K.

Main gate

Runway

RAF Fairford

Gate

6A

Perimeter

fence

Whelford

Three vans searched by bomb disposal robot

Sept. 27, 12:45 a.m.: Gloucestershire Police say they receive call about three suspicious vehicles travelling toward RAF Fairford.

1:36 a.m.: Resident of Whelford calls 999 after arriving home to find three white vans blocking her driveway and seeing “large group of hooded and masked men” running away.

Five men later arrested by armed police near Whelford. Bomb disposal team also deployed to village

Counter Terrorism Policing is leading an investigation into the incident. Residents of 85 homes evacuated and a 400-metre cordon has been established around the vehicles.

SOURCE: GRAPHIC NEWS

Terrorism arrests made at RAF base

Five men are in custody on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences after a major incident near an airbase that has been used by the U.S. military to ​strike Iran

800m

Main gate

RAF Fairford

U.K.

Runway

RAF Fairford

Gate

6A

Perimeter

fence

Whelford

Three vans searched by bomb disposal robot

Sept. 27, 12:45 a.m.: Gloucestershire Police say they receive call about three suspicious vehicles travelling toward RAF Fairford.

1:36 a.m.: Resident of Whelford calls 999 after arriving home to find three white vans blocking her driveway and seeing “large group of hooded and masked men” running away.

Five men later arrested by armed police near Whelford.

Bomb disposal team also deployed to village

Counter Terrorism Policing is leading an investigation into the incident. Residents of 85 homes evacuated and a 400-metre cordon has been established around the vehicles.

SOURCE: GRAPHIC NEWS

Terrorism arrests made at RAF base

Five men are in custody on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences after a major incident near an airbase that has been used by the U.S. military to ​strike Iran

800m

Main gate

RAF Fairford

U.K.

Runway

RAF Fairford

Gate 6A

Perimeter

fence

Marston

Meysey

Kempsford

Whelford

Three vans searched by bomb disposal robot

Sept. 27, 12:45 a.m.: Gloucestershire Police say they receive call about three suspicious vehicles travelling toward RAF Fairford.

1:36 a.m.: Resident of Whelford calls 999 after arriving home to find three white vans blocking her driveway and seeing “large group of hooded and masked men” running away.

Five men later arrested by armed police near Whelford. Bomb disposal team also deployed to village

Counter Terrorism Policing is leading an investigation into the incident. Residents of 85 homes evacuated and a 400-metre cordon has been established around the vehicles.

SOURCE: GRAPHIC NEWS

In a statement, Mr. Taylor said police were keeping an open mind as to the suspects’ motives. “But be assured we are considering this from every possible angle, including that this may be actively committed by proxies or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state,” he said.

Officials from the Iranian embassy in London said their country was not involved.

Iran “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base,” the statement said.

The embassy added: “The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, as necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and damaging media narratives.”

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A local farmer told BBC on Monday that she noticed the men and three vans near her farm when she was returning home from a party early Sunday. She saw a group of hooded and masked men run away after they saw her. The farmer, who was not identified, called police. “I am absolutely staggered that it was left to me, as a member of the public, to see and report this,” she added.

Residents were evacuated from 85 homes in the village of Whelford near the base on Sunday and army bomb-disposal experts used a robot to examine three white vans left at the scene. The villagers had not been able to go home as of Monday morning, and the vans had not yet been moved.

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in Chicago on Sunday that the suspects had been detained after co-operation between the U.S. and Britain, and had been “under view” for some time.

British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting declined to give details of the operation, but said “it was a proud moment” that Mr. Trump had recognized “the work that our police and intelligence services do every day.”

In reference to the comments by the farmer, Mr. Streeting told BBC: “Thank you to that member of the public. She has done exactly what we would hope that someone in that extraordinary situation would do.”

He added, “With respect, though, she does only have a partial picture. And that’s as far as I wish to go this morning.”

In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states including Iran increased by 50 per cent in the six months to December, 2025.

Britain did not join the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that began Feb. 28 and initially denied Mr. Trump’s request to use bases in the country to strike Iran. But then-prime minister Keir Starmer agreed in March to let the U.S. use bases in Britain for what he called “defensive” operations against Iran’s missiles and their launch sites after Iranian attacks on British interests and allies in the Gulf.

U.S. B-1 and B-52 bombers have taken off from RAF Fairford, 160 kilometres west of London, for operations during the Iran conflict.

U.K. armed forces ready to defend country after Iran warns over U.S. bombers using bases in Britain

Iran has said it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.

British security officials say proxies linked to Iran have been behind a string of arson and sabotage attempts in Britain and other countries, many of them targeting the Jewish community. They have previously warned that Tehran could expand its targets in the country if conflicts in the Middle East continue.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Monday that the incident is a “reminder of the threats our country faces.”

Mr. Miliband met Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the United Nations in New York last week and told him that, “Britain will not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on U.K. soil,” according to a British readout of the conversation.

With reports from The Associated Press

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