Five Arrested Near US Base in UK Over Alleged Terror Plot
British anti-terrorism police have arrested five individuals near a base used by the United States Air Force. The five men were detained on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.
According to a statement from the London Metropolitan Police on Sunday (27/09/2026), armed officers apprehended the group in the early hours of the morning following emergency calls regarding three “suspicious vehicles appearing to move towards the airbase.”
The suspects were initially detained near the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford base in southwest Gloucestershire, England, on suspicion of explosives-related offences.
Around 85 homes in the nearby village of Whelford were advised to evacuate. Military bomb disposal experts were deployed to inspect three vans stopped on a rural road.
“Counter Terrorism Police Units can now confirm that they are leading the investigation into the incident that occurred last night near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire,” the police statement added.
Aerial footage showed bomb disposal robots moving around the vans on the rural road, with the rear doors of two vehicles appearing to be open. Police believe the incident is “contained,” and a 400-metre (1,300-foot) cordon has been established at the scene. Armed officers were seen on guard at the base entrance.
In March, then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer had authorised “defensive” US actions against Iranian missile sites from two UK bases, including Fairford. The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is being kept updated on the incident, according to a government spokesperson.
“We are grateful to the emergency services who acted swiftly to detain several suspects and implement measures to ensure public safety,” said the spokesperson.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting expressed his gratitude to the “emergency and specialist teams” deployed to the scene. “It is not appropriate to comment further while the investigation is ongoing. We can be reassured that the situation is being handled,” he stated on the X platform.
Gloucestershire Police previously declared the situation a “major incident” and arrested several men “on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act.”
Residents of the village were evacuated to a nearby recreation centre. One local resident, Julian Tudsbery, said he was woken and asked to leave around 07:00 am by police who were “knocking on doors.”
He noted that another villager had reported the suspicious vans to the police at midnight. “He called the airbase police, but there was no answer. The phone just rang without being picked up, so he called the 999 emergency number,” he told the BBC.
Fairford serves as the UK base for the 501st Combat Support Wing, an administrative support unit of the US Air Force. In a statement, the US base confirmed that no US Air Force personnel were involved in the incident.