LONDON — British police arrested several men on suspicion of explosives offences on Sunday near an air base which the United States Air Force had been using to facilitate strikes on Iran. A major incident was declared, with a large emergency services presence seen in the area around RAF Fairford, close to the village of Whelford in west England. Local MP Roz Savage thanked police for their response to “worrying scenes just outside the RAF Fairford base,” while British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said in a post on X: “We can be reassured that this is being dealt with and it is exactly why our emergency response teams and Armed Forces are on standby 24/7.” Police, who did not confirm any link between the incident and the base, said they believed the incident to be “contained.” The news agency had reported that security measures at the air base have been significantly increased in recent days.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force told the agency they would not discuss specific force protection measures. The British government said Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being updated about the incident, adding “it would be inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing.” In March this year, Burnham’s predecessor Keir Starmer gave permission for the U.S. to use its bases for “specific and limited defensive” operations against Iran. In July, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Britain that “any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target,” Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported, citing bomber aircraft flights from Fairford.
At the time, a British government spokesperson said that the country was “ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it’s on our soil or from abroad.”
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