British authorities arrested five men in the western England town of Whelford early Sunday in a suspected explosives plot near a key military base used by American troops.
The suspects were taken into custody on “suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act,” according to British authorities.
Police in Gloucestershire said the arrests followed a call alerting them to three suspicious vehicles heading toward RAF Fairford, a military installation about a mile from Whelford and a site U.S. forces have used to launch airstrikes against Iran.
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The base hosts several key U.S. military units, including the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron
The incident comes at a delicate moment in the U.S.-Iran conflict and just days after top Iranian military leaders threatened to “change the geography of the war” if President Trump renews American airstrikes against Iran.
Authorities did not suggest any links between Iran and the incident near RAF Fairford on Sunday.
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In a statement, UK Counter Terrorism Policing Senior National Coordinator Vicki Evans said authorities are working to learn more about the suspects’ intentions.
“We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody. As you would expect we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident,” Ms. Evans said.
Aerial footage from Britain’s Sky News appeared to show a bomb disposal robot moving between three white trucks in the area.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force said its personnel based at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant” but would not discuss specific force protection measures for security reasons.
“We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families,” the spokesperson told The Associated Press.
Gloucestershire police did not specify how many people were evacuated from the immediate area.
“The Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team are currently examining a number of vehicles,” police said in a brief statement. “A cordon is currently in place but we’d like to reassure people that we believe this incident is contained.”
Britain’s Defense Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the emergency and specialist teams who responded to the incident.
“We can be reassured that this is being dealt with,” Mr. Streeting said.
The incident follows recent threats by Tehran to expand the geographic scope of the battlefield.
Iranian Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, a key figure in the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said last week his country is prepared to employ new tactics if President Trump launches airstrikes on Iran.
“If another aggression takes place, there will certainly be significant changes in our defense and our counterattack,” Gen. Mohebbi said, according to the country’s state-run Fars News Agency.
“We will definitely change the geography of the war,” he said, according to English-language translations of his comments.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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