Police evacuated homes near RAF Fairford after arresting men on explosives charges. The incident remains contained, police said.
Gloucestershire Police declared a major incident on Sunday after arresting several men on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act near RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in southwestern England used by United States military forces. Authorities began evacuating residents from properties in the nearby village of Whelford as a precaution, relocating them to a local leisure center while officers established a security cordon around the affected area.
A specialist bomb disposal unit from the British Army was deployed to examine several vehicles connected to the investigation. Police said the situation was under control and that established emergency protocols were being followed in coordination with partner agencies, though the operation remained active into the afternoon. Authorities have not yet released the identities of those arrested or disclosed further details about the nature of the suspected offenses.
RAF Fairford, located near the Wiltshire border in Gloucestershire, serves as a key staging base for the United States Air Force in Europe. The facility is described by the USAF as its preferred forward operating location for Global Strike Command bomber missions and has hosted B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft. The base has drawn scrutiny in recent months because of its role supporting American operations connected to the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, making it a periodic focus of security incidents and protest activity. Authorities have not indicated whether Sunday’s arrests are linked to that broader context, and no injuries have been reported.
This report is based on information from Al Jazeera/AFP and Euronews.