It was not a usual morning for residents of Whelford village in Gloucestershire, southwest England, when around 30 emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances and fire engines, arrived in the area. Villagers were woken up by police and ordered to evacuate their homes. They were reportedly taken to a nearby leisure centre.
Whelford is located near RAF Fairford, the Royal Air Force base that was used by the United States for a limited period to launch strikes on Iran.
According to Gloucestershire Police, cited by various news agencies, a “major incident” had taken place near the base and was later “contained”. Police subsequently announced that five people had been arrested on suspicion of offences under the UK Explosives Act. They were also arrested on suspicion of preparing to commit a terrorist act.
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{{/usCountry}}In March, then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer allowed the US to use RAF Fairford to launch strikes against Iran. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned in July that any base used in strikes against Iran would be considered a legitimate target.
Police have not confirmed any link between Sunday’s incident and the Iran-linked IRGC. However, the arrests on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act have raised questions about the nature of the incident.
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What happened near Fairford? Top points
1. Three vans and a call to police
A resident of the village told The Guardian that residents spotted three vans in the early hours of Sunday morning, following which a call was made to police. Officers soon began evacuating homes, while a bomb disposal vehicle was sent to the area.
Police said 85 households were evacuated in the village of Whelford. A 400-metre cordon was also put in place around the vehicles.
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2. Five arrests so far
Gloucestershire Police, according to Reuters, later said that five men had been arrested on suspicion of “preparation of a terrorist act”. Police also said they were working closely with partners in counter-terrorism policing and were trying to establish the full nature of the incident.
3. Links with Iran?
So far, there has been no confirmation that the five arrested men are linked to Iran or the IRGC. In July, Iran had warned that all bases used by the US to launch strikes against Iran would be considered legitimate targets.
The Daily Mail published a photograph showing five men being arrested, while another image showed three large white vans parked nearby. However, there is currently no evidence establishing that the men were members of the IRGC or that they were planning to attack the RAF base.
4. PM Andy Burnham getting minute-to-minute updates
Prime Minister Andy Burnham was expected to take part in a football match between journalists and politicians on Sunday, but the event was cancelled as he sought updates on the Fairford incident.
A government spokesperson said, according to The Guardian: “The prime minister is being kept updated on the incident in Gloucestershire. We are grateful to the emergency services, who have acted quickly to detain several suspects and put measures in place to keep the community safe. It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing.”
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5. UK counter-terrorism police leading investigation
The initial call to police was made by villagers. The situation was subsequently assessed by emergency services, and the UK’s counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation after five men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offences near RAF Fairford on Sunday.
“Counter Terrorism Policing can now confirm they are leading an investigation into an incident which took place overnight near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement, according to PTI.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Counter Terrorism Policing’s Senior National Coordinator, said the team was in the early stages of its investigation and that the five arrested men remained in custody.
6. Trump says suspects were looking to do ‘big damage’
US President Donald Trump said the suspects had been looking to do "big damage" and had been under investigation by British and US authorities.
(With inputs from Reuters, AFP, PTI)