Five people have been arrested in an “anti-terrorist” operation in relation to a “serious incident” in the vicinity of the British Air Force Fairford air base, which also has the presence of United States troops. The suspects are accused of crimes under the Explosives Law.
In a statement, Gloucestershire Police reported that “several properties are being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a serious incident”, without adding further details. “We continue to work with Gloucestershire Police to keep the community safe, while we work to gather evidence,” spokeswoman Vicki Evans said.
Around midnight, police were alerted to the presence of “three suspicious vehicles” heading to the Fairford base. Those cars are now being examined by military bomb squads, a 400-meter security cordon has been created and 85 people have been evacuated.
Since March, the US has permission to deploy bombers in the Iran war
Fairford Air Base has recently been used for the deployment of American bombers in the context of the conflict in the Middle East. The base hosts these bombers after the then British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, gave permission for “defensive actions” by the US in the United Kingdom, something highly criticized by Tehran.
Thus, a spokesperson for the 501st Combat Support Squadron of the US Air Force, which is based in Fairford, has highlighted the “rapid response” and “continued support” of the British authorities. “The safety and protection of our Air Force personnel, their families and the surrounding communities remain our top priority,” he stressed, before ensuring that there were no US military personnel “involved in the incident.”
We had them under surveillance for a long time.
For his part, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, has highlighted that the arrest has been the result of “collaboration” with the United Kingdom and has described the cooperation as “fantastic” and “terrific.” Furthermore, he stated that they had previously investigated these people because “they wanted to do a lot of damage to our fort”: “We had them under surveillance for a long time and we have hunted them down.”
For its part, a spokesperson for the British Government has stressed in statements to the BBC television network that the Prime Minister, Andy Burham, is being informed of everything related to the incident. “We thank the emergency services who have acted quickly to arrest several suspects and take measures to ensure the safety of the community,” he said, while stressing that “it would be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing.”
