British police arrest five suspects for handling explosives around a military base

BarcelonaThe British police have reported that they have arrested five people for handling explosives near the Royal Air Force base in Fairford in the county of Gloucestershire, in southwest England. The authorities, who consider this a "serious incident" and have established a security perimeter in the town of Whelford, suspect that it could be the preparation of a terrorist attack. In fact, the counter-terrorism unit has assumed control of the investigation, according to the British government. The military base has an American presence and, specifically, it has been used by the United States Air Force (USAF) during the war against Iran. Army bomb disposal experts examined vehicles in the area this Sunday and several homes have been evacuated.

“Around 12:45 in the morning, the police received a call alerting them to the presence of three suspicious vehicles heading towards the Fairford base. Armed officers responded immediately and arrested five individuals,” explained Richard Ocone, the Deputy Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Police, under whose jurisdiction the site of the incident is located. By mid-morning, images broadcast from helicopters flying over the site showed a bomb disposal robot approaching three white vans parked on a small country road to inspect them.

"Currently, several properties in the Whelford area are being evacuated following the declaration of a serious incident. The measure comes after several men were arrested on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act," explained the official statement. In the note, law enforcement had called for calm to "reassure the public" and had reiterated that the incident "is under control." The Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Counter Terrorism Policing, Vicki Evans, has remarked that the inquiries have only just begun and that they are still "at an early stage"

The evacuated residents of the area—a total of 85 homes—have been moved to a municipal center while the investigation continues its course. Many of them were woken up and evicted in the middle of the night.

The Fairford military base has been used by US military fighters as part of their operation against Iran, which began on February 28. Although initially the British government of the former prime minister, Keir Starmer, denied the Donald Trump administration authorization to use its bases, in a subsequent decision it gave the green light for this use provided it was to carry out defensive actions.

A spokesperson for the United States Air Force has stated that its personnel stationed at the base "remain on alert." "The 501st Combat Support Wing – the USAF administrative unit permanently based at Fairford – is on alert, and we will take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of our soldiers, as well as that of the civilians, contractors, and family members who reside there," the spokesperson said.

For his part, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, praised the British police operation from Chicago and highlighted the cooperation between both countries. "It has been a fantastic job. We had them under investigation and they intended to cause serious damage to our facilities. Working with the British has been extraordinary," he stated. Trump also assured that the authorities had been following the suspects for some time: "We had been tracking them for a long time and finally we caught them."