FAIRFORD, England – British police said on Sunday they had arrested several men on suspicion of explosives offenses while Army bomb disposal experts were examining a number of vehicles in a “major incident” near an air base used by the U.S. in southwest England. Police said nearby residents had been evacuated from their homes. The British government gave authorization to the U.S. to use RAF Fairford to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites that are attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned in July that any base used in strikes would be a legitimate target. One eyewitness said armed police had blocked access to the main gate of the base, while equipment had been positioned in front of access points and residents of a nearby village were evacuated to a leisure center. Around 30 emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances and fire engines, were stationed in the village of Fairford near the base.
It follows the arrest of several men on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act,” Gloucestershire police said in a statement, referring to a village near the air base. A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force declined to discuss specific force protection measures.
British ministers have also briefed providers of critical infrastructure on the threat posed by Russia, with the government increasingly concerned about possible sabotage operations and cyberattacks. Russia denies mounting hybrid attacks on Western nations.
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