Five Arrested Near RAF Fairford After Explosives Found In Vans

Gloucestershire Police declared a major incident on Sunday after halting three suspicious vans en route to RAF Fairford, an air base in southwest England used by American forces, and taking five men into custody over suspected breaches of the Explosives Act and involvement in plotting a terrorist act.¹⁴⁶¹³

Vans stopped, base cordoned

Counter-terrorism police said they received a call in the early hours of Sunday about three suspicious vehicles heading toward RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Armed officers intercepted the vans in the nearby village of Whelford and took five men into custody, who were subsequently rearrested over suspected involvement in plotting an act of terrorism.¹³⁸⁷

A 400-metre cordon was placed around the vehicles while the Army's specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit examined them; according to the Guardian, materials found in the vans were consistent with improvised explosive devices. Roughly 85 homes in Whelford were emptied, with some residents moved to a leisure centre in nearby Cirencester, while about 30 emergency vehicles—among them police cars, ambulances and fire trucks—lined the village.¹¹³⁹⁵

Police said the situation was now contained, though they did not confirm whether the arrests were directly linked to activity on the RAF Fairford site itself. Richard Ocone, an assistant chief constable with Gloucestershire Police, said: "We appreciate the disruption this will have caused and would like to reassure them we are working as quickly as we can to get them back in their properties."¹³⁵¹¹⁹

A base at the centre of the Iran war

RAF Fairford has been used by the U.S. Air Force, including its 501st Combat Support Wing, and was authorised in March by Prime Minister Keir Starmer for American defensive action against Iranian missile sites, according to the Guardian. Four American bombers landed at the base that month, and further reporting said three U.S. B-1B Lancer bombers touched down there after a strike mission against Iran, whose missile sites have been attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.¹⁸³⁷

That same July, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cautioned that any facility involved in strikes on Iranian soil—naming RAF Fairford specifically—would be treated as a valid military target; the Guardian reported that the Guards urged Britain not to permit American bombers to operate from the base. At the time, British officials stated that the nation's armed forces stood ready to defend the country against any assault. The Guardian reported, without corroboration from other sources, that the base has also been the focus of protests over the government's decision to allow the U.S. strikes.¹³⁹³⁸

Tristan Wilkinson recalled that the base had faced a specific threat tied to Iran roughly six weeks earlier, adding that surveillance in the area had subsequently increased. According to the Straits Times and CNBC, an Iran-linked motive was regarded as the most probable explanation for the incident.⁷³

Reaction from London and Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at a golf event in Illinois, said the men detained were "looking to do big damage" and praised the joint response. He described the collaboration as fantastic, calling the joint effort with Britain an outstanding accomplishment. The White House stated that American and British agencies were collaborating closely on the inquiry.³⁷²¹⁴

Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham said, "It was deeply concerning and the government will always take every step necessary to protect people," adding that the incident near RAF Fairford would be worrying for local residents. Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the inquiry remained at an early stage with five men still detained, and that officers were working closely alongside partner agencies to piece together exactly what had happened.¹⁸⁷

A U.S. Air Force representative said the 501st Combat Support Wing and other UK-based wings "remain vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors and their families." The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament said the deployment was "also increasing the risks to the British population, with British bases like RAF Fairford now viewed as a legitimate target."²

Wider security concerns

Security was also increased at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, with armoured vehicles and additional personnel stationed at the gates, according to reporting from Illinois and the National. Separately, British officials have reportedly been alerting operators of critical infrastructure to potential Russian sabotage and cyber threats, an allegation Moscow rejects, insisting it does not carry out hybrid attacks against Western nations.³⁷²⁴