Several men were arrested Sunday on suspicion of explosives offenses after police declared a major incident in Whelford, a village near RAF Fairford in southwestern England.
Gloucestershire Police evacuated residents from several properties and established a cordon while an Army bomb disposal team examined several vehicles. Police described the incident as contained.
Authorities did not disclose how many men were arrested, what prompted the police operation or whether explosives had been found.
Whelford is close to RAF Fairford, which is used by U.S. forces. Police did not confirm to The Associated Press whether the arrests were connected to the air base, according to CBS News.
The U.S. Air Force said its personnel at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant” but declined to discuss specific security measures.
“We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families,” an Air Force spokesperson said.
U.S. European Command also declined to discuss specific protective measures. It said the military would “take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, civilians, contractors, and their families across the European theater.”
An eyewitness quoted by Reuters reported increased security at the base in recent days, including additional roadblocks and armed police restricting access. Virginia Times could not independently verify the eyewitness account.
The U.K. Ministry of Defence said the government granted the United States permission in March to use RAF Fairford for specific and limited defensive operations against Iranian missile facilities. The decision followed the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Feb. 28.
The British government has characterized the authorized operations as defensive. No connection between those military activities and Sunday’s arrests has been established.
A U.K. government spokesperson thanked emergency services for responding quickly and said it would be “inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing.”
