Five held near RAF Fairford as terror probe puts US base under scrutiny
British police have arrested five men on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism and explosives offences outside RAF Fairford, a military base in western England operated by the US Air Force. Three suspicious vehicles are being searched, and counterterror officers are leading the investigation.
The arrests have put the focus on RAF Fairford, one of several bases in Britain used by the US Air Force under an agreement dating back to the 1950s. The base has played a role in major conflicts and has recently been used for operations linked to the Iran conflict.
RAF Fairford, about 160 kilometres west of London, is home to the headquarters of the US Air Force's 501st Combat Support Wing and is a forward operating location for US Air Force Global Strike Command. According to the House of Commons Library, about 11,000 American military personnel are stationed at various sites in Britain, though the number at RAF Fairford is not publicly available.
The base's long runway makes it suitable for heavy bombers. It has been used in conflicts including the Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq war and the US-Israeli war on Iran this year.
Britain did not join the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28, and initially denied President Donald Trump's request to use bases in the UK to strike Iran. But days later, then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had agreed to let the US use bases in Britain for defensive operations against Iran's missiles and their launch sites after Iranian attacks on UK interests and Britain's allies in the Gulf. American B-1 and B-52 bombers have taken off from Fairford for operations during the Iran conflict.
Security around US bases in Britain has remained tight. Anti-war campaigners have protested several times outside the perimeter fence of RAF Fairford since the start of the Iran war. It is not yet clear whether the latest arrests are linked to that conflict. British security officials have said proxies linked to Iran were behind a series of arson and sabotage attempts in the UK and other countries, many of them targeting the Jewish community. They have also warned that Tehran could widen its targets in the UK if conflicts in the Middle East continue.
Some local residents said security appeared to have been stepped up around RAF Fairford in recent days, with heavy vehicles parked across entrance gates. Another American base, RAF Lakenheath in eastern England, said it is on Charlie alert, the second-highest threat level that can be issued by the US Department of Defence. US military websites say Force Protection Condition Charlie applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities is likely. There was no immediate confirmation of the threat level at RAF Fairford, and US European Command said it would not discuss specific force protection measures.
The arrests outside RAF Fairford have drawn attention to a base that has long supported US air operations from Britain and has recently been involved in flights linked to the Iran conflict, even as security concerns around such sites remain high.
