Counter-terrorism officers have been photographed arresting five men over a suspected car bomb plot targeting US forces at RAF Fairford.
The suspects were detained alongside three vans believed to have been prepared to carry explosives. Images from the arrests show the men shirtless and handcuffed, raising suspicions that police may also have feared they were wearing suicide vests.
RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire serves as a US Air Force command base for European operations. The facility has been used to support American strikes against Iranian missile sites involved in attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a warning about the base in July, telling Britain not to allow US bombers to launch missions from RAF Fairford.
Counter-terrorism officers are understood to be directing the investigation as specialists examine the devices recovered from the scene. Authorities are working to establish whether the suspected explosives were capable of causing an attack.
Footage recorded by a resident of nearby Whelford at around 2.10am shows the men restrained with a powerful light shining on them. A separate image appears to show the three vans allegedly linked to the suspected plot.
People living in the surrounding Cotswolds countryside were evacuated as armed police and the SAS moved into the area. The Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team was also deployed to search for any additional devices.
A Government spokesman said Prime Minister Andy Burnham was being “kept updated” on the operation from Liverpool, where the Labour Party conference is due to begin today.
Five men were photographed shirtless near RAF Fairford after being arrested under the Explosives Act this morning.
The suspects are believed to have used three vans, which appeared in footage from the scene. Their removal of shirts during the arrests has prompted speculation that officers feared they could be wearing suicide vests.
The five men were detained and handcuffed on the road as Army bomb disposal experts and the SAS were called in to deal with the suspected threat.
Armed police were seen in and around Whelford, close to RAF Fairford, this morning.
The security operation is likely to intensify debate over the defence decisions facing Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey ahead of next month’s Budget.
Keir Starmer, Mr Burnham’s predecessor, initially refused to allow US bombers to operate from British bases after the Iran war began in February. The decision angered President Donald Trump, who criticised the former Labour leader by saying he was “no Winston Churchill”.
Sir Keir later changed course, granting the US permission in March to use the bases for the “specific and limited defensive purpose” of destroying Iranian missiles “at source”.
RAF Fairford has reportedly been placed on Delta alert, the highest threat level used by the US Department of Defense.
Security measures have also been strengthened at other American facilities in Britain. RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk has reportedly been placed on Charlie alert, the second-highest level.
The Whelford resident who photographed the arrests told the Daily Mail: “I was asleep and was woken by shouting outside.
“I could not make out what was being said, but as I moved closer to the window I saw the road illuminated by the blue flashing lights of police vehicles.
“On one side of the road, officers had lined up five men. All of them had their shirts removed.”
‘They were instructed to sit down. They were patted down by the officers and then had their shoes and socks removed.
‘I think they must have been there for about half an hour. The suspects were then told to get up and were walked round the corner.
‘I lost sight of them after that but I presumed they were put in police vans and led away. This all happened just outside the perimeter of RAF Fairford.
‘The police are investigating three work vans parked a few hundred yards from my house. We’ve not been told much, we were just asked to evacuate our homes early this morning.’
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Road blocks and armed police have been in place near the base in recent days and emergency vehicles are parked nearby.
A witness said armed police had blocked access to the base’s main gate and around 30 police cars, ambulances and fire engines were in the village of Fairford.
Earlier a vehicle, apparently a tractor, was pictured blocking a gate at the base.
Armed police at RAF Fairford this morning. Officers blocked entrances to the air base, which is operated by the US Air Force
Officers also evacuated nearby homes, with residents taken to a nearby leisure centre
A B-1B Lancer bomber pictured at the air base, which has been used to mount US strikes against Iran since the US-led war began
Emergency services vehicles including fire engines descended on Whelford as the major incident was investigated
Counter-terror police are leading the investigation amid suspicion an active terror plot may have been foiled
Gloucestershire Police said earlier: ‘A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident.
‘It follows the arrest of several men on suspicion of offences under the explosives act.
‘The Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team are currently examining a number of vehicles. The local residents are being evacuated to a nearby leisure centre.
‘A cordon is currently in place but we’d like to reassure people that we believe this incident is contained.
‘We are working closely with our partners and are enacting the well-rehearsed plans we have in place.’
A US Air Force spokesman said: ‘The 501st Combat Support Wing and our fellow UK-based Wings remain vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families.
‘We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families.’
A vehicle which appeared to be a tractor blocked a gate at RAF Fairford this morning
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said of the incident: ‘We can be reassured that this is being dealt with.’
In June, the US government said it would spend around $500million (£377million) on ‘expansion and military infrastructure’ at the base, understood to include a new hangar complex.
A month earlier the Royal International Air Tattoo, set to be held at the base in July, was cancelled after the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises (RAFCTE) said the ‘escalating geopolitical situation in the Middle East’ had required a ‘significant increase in real-world operational missions’ from RAF Fairford.
RAFCTE said both the Royal and US air forces needed to ‘maintain unrestricted, 24/7 operational readiness at the base’.
Shortly after the US and Israel began the war with Iran on February 28, roads surrounding RAF Fairford were closed in a bid to ‘address safety and access issues’.
Protective screens were mounted on the base’s perimeter fences in March to stop filming after it became popular with plane spotters when US bombers began arriving.
That month US military personnel at the base were pictured preparing explosives at the base as Washington intensified strikes on Iran.