Several men have been arrested on suspicion of crimes related to explosives at a village near an air base used by U.S. forces, police in southwestern England said on Sunday.
Police in Gloucestershire said it had declared a major incident and evacuated “a number of properties” in the Whelford area following the arrest of “several men on suspicion of offences under the explosives act,” referring to the country’s laws around explosives.
The authorities also said a bomb disposal team were on site examining a number of vehicles.
A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford on March 19, 2026 in Fairford, England.
Leon Neal / Getty Images
Some local residents were evacuated, police said, and a cordon was established but the incident is said to be “contained.”
The town of Whelford is close to RAF Fairford, a base that American forces have used for strictly limited strikes during the war with Iran. After the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, the U.K. government allowed the American military to use the Fairford base to strike Iranian missile sites.
However, police did not confirm to the Associated Press whether the arrests were linked to the base.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force said its personnel based at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant” but would not discuss specific force protection measures for security reasons.
“We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families,” the spokesperson said.
Security measures have been significantly increased in recent days at the air baise, according to an eyewitness quoted by the Reuters news agency who said there had been more roadblocks and armed police preventing access.
A spokesperson for the U.K. government thanked emergency services for acting quickly and added that it would be “inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
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