UK Police Arrest 5 Near Air Base Used by US on Suspicion of Preparing Terrorist Act

Five men were arrested and held on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, a Royal Air Force base used by the U.S. Air Force.

Police received a call around 12:45 a.m. local time on Sept. 27 that three suspicious vehicles were heading toward the base, located nearly 100 miles west of London, according to Counter Terrorism Policing.

Armed officers responded and initially arrested the five men on suspicion of committing offenses under the Explosives Act and then further detained on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.

Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans said the investigation is in its early stage and they’re still trying to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The names of the five people being held have not yet been released.

“We continue to work with Gloucestershire Police to keep the community safe as we work to gather evidence from the scene,” Evans said.

“A 400m cordon has been put in place around the vehicles while the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit conducts examinations. As a precaution, around 85 households have been evacuated whilst these examinations take place.”

An evacuation center was opened for people who were asked to leave their homes.

“We’d like to thank the residents who have left their homes this morning for their understanding and support,” Gloucestershire Police assistant chief constable Richard Ocone 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.”

Ocone said the public should expect to see emergency teams in the area for “some time.”

“We would ask the public not to speculate but to follow official channels for updates,” he said.

A U.S. European Command spokesperson told The Epoch Times on Sunday that it is working closely with UK counterparts to monitor this situation but would not discuss specific force protection measures due to operational security reasons.

“U.S. European Command remains vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, civilians, contractors, and their families across the European theater,” the spokesperson said.

“We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families.”