MAJOR TERROR INCIDENT: Bomb Squad Deployed, Mass Casualty Plot Thwarted at Air Base Used by U.S. Forces in England, Five Terrorists Arrested

Chaos in the UK as five men arrested on suspicion of plotting a car bomb attack at RAF Fairford. Three vans are being examined, bomb disposal teams remain at the scene, and the base is on the highest US threat alert.

This is a major security emergency still unfolding.

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5 men arrested near a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act

By Duarte Dias, Lucia I Suarez Sang

Several men have been arrested on suspicion of crimes related to explosives at a village near a Royal Air Force base used by U.S. bombers, police in southwestern England said on Sunday. British counterterrorism police took over the investigation.

British counterterrorism police said Sunday that they are investigating after several men were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act in a village near a Royal Air Force base, which is used by U.S. bombers.

The Metropolitan Police said officers received a call around 12:45 a.m. local time about three suspicious vehicles that were traveling toward RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, a county in southwestern England. Armed officers responded, and five men were arrested in the Whelford area on suspicion of committing offenses under the Explosives Act. They were then arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

“We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody,” said Vicki Evans, the deputy assistant police commissioner and national coordinator for counter terrorism policing in the U.K., in a statement. “As you would expect, we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident.”

Evans said around 85 households were evacuated as a precaution. A bomb disposal team was on site examining some vehicles in the Whelford area, police said earlier Sunday.

A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford on March 19, 2026 in Fairford, England.Leon Neal / Getty Images

The town of Whelford is close to RAF Fairford, about 100 miles west of London, and is one of several bases in Britain that have been used by the U.S. Air Force under an agreement dating from the 1950s.

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. Iran has previously indicated that a base used to attack its territory is a legitimate target.

Authorities are investigating a link between the Fairford arrests and Iran as one possibility.

President Trump told reporters during a trip to Chicago on Sunday that the men arrested “were looking to do big damage to our port.” He said U.S. authorities worked with U.K. police on the arrest and said that “we had them under view for a long time, and we got them.”

Gloucestershire Police Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone said his department’s emergency services have well-rehearsed plans to deal with major incidents like this, and the public should expect to see a police presence in the area for some time.

“We’d like to thank the residents who have left their homes this morning for their understanding and support,” said Ocone. “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.”

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