Five arrested near RAF Fairford as UK Police investigate suspected Iran-linked terror plot

Police were holding five men on Monday and examining suspected explosives found near a USoperated air force base in England as counterterror detectives investigated whether the arrests foiled an attempted attack linked to IranThe men were detained early Sunday after three vans were spotted near RAF Fairford a UKowned base operated by the US Air Force that has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle EastThe five who have not been named were initially held over suspected explosives offenses and later also arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism Police can hold them for up to 14 days before they must be charged or releasedPresident Donald Trump said the suspects had been detained following cooperation between the US and Britain and had been under view for some time Police however said the arrests were triggered by a latenight call about suspicious vehicles near the baseBritish Defence Secretary Wes Streeting declined to give details of the operation but said it was a proud moment that Trump had recognised the work that our police and intelligence services do every dayAs and when we can we will report back to the public about these individuals and about the nature of the threat Streeting told Times RadioInvestigators have not concluded whether the incident is a statebacked attack but are investigating a possible Iran linkThe arrests come at a time of heightened tensions around the threat from hostile states with British intelligence services saying Russia and Iran have both used proxies to commit crimes on British soil In March officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states including Iran increased 50 per cent in the six months to December 2025Britain did not join the USIsraeli war on Iran that began February 28 and initially denied Trumps request to use bases in the UK to strike Iran But thenPrime Minister Keir Starmer agreed in March to let the US use bases in Britain for what he called defensive operations against Irans missiles and their launch sites following Iranian attacks on UK interests and Britains allies in the GulfAmerican B1 and B52 bombers have taken off from Fairford 160 kilometres west of London for operations during the Iran conflictIran has said it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate targetBritish security officials say proxies linked to Iran have been behind a string of arson and sabotage attempts in the UK and other countries many of them targeting the Jewish communityThey have previously warned that Tehran could expand its targets in the UK if conflicts in the Middle East continueResidents were evacuated from 85 homes in the village of Whelford near the base on Sunday as army bombdisposal experts used a robot to examine three white vans The villagers had not been able to go home as of Monday morning and the vans had not yet been movedThe US Air Force said its personnel based at RAF Fairford remain vigilant but for operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measuresThe US embassy in London has warned Americans in Britain to be cautious and mindful of their personal securityTrump said authorities had the suspects under view for a long time and we got themIt was an amazing job We had them under investigation They were looking to do big damage to our fort And working with the British worked out great he told reporters in Chicago on SundayThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever