UK police said Sunday that five men arrested in the middle of the night near an air base used by the United States during its war against Iran are being held on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.
London’s Metropolitan Police, which takes the lead on potential terrorism activities, said in a statement that police received a call at 12:45 a.m. related to three suspicious vehicles which appeared to be travelling toward the airbase.
The five men were initially arrested on suspicion of committing offenses under the Explosives Act in the Whelford area, which backs onto RAF Fairford, the base that hosts the headquarters of the US Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron. The base is UK owned and US operated under an agreement dating back to the Cold War. “As you would expect, we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident. Britain’s Defense Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the emergency and specialist teams who responded to the incident.
London’s Metropolitan Police, which takes the lead on potential terrorism activities, said in a statement that police received a call at 12:45 a.m. related to three suspicious vehicles which appeared to be travelling toward the airbase.
“We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody,” said Vicki Evans, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner. “There were several police, three police cars in the drive, and they said you need to evacuate, there’s been a major incident, said he couldn’t elaborate,” he said.
