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Homes evacuated near UK military base after 5 men with ‘explosives’ arrested; bomb squad called in
RAF Fairford major incident investigation is being led by UK counter-terrorism police after several men were arrested over suspected explosives offences.
FULL ARTICLE · The Indian Express World
3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Sep 27, 2026 10:24 PM IST
Police stand at a road block on the road to RAF Fairford after an incident, in Whelford, England.(AP)
The UK’s counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation into a “major incident” at RAF Fairford air base, used by the United States in southwest England. The police have arrested 5 men on suspicion of explosives offences, and the bomb disposal squad was called in to “examine” several vehicles, reports stated on Sunday.
Emergency services at the scene of an incident close to RAF Fairford,, in Whelford, England. (AP)
Gloucestershire police said that nearby residents of “a number of properties” in Whelford, western England, had been evacuated from their homes and taken to a nearby leisure centre, adding that the situation at the air base has been “contained”, AP reported.
After the agencies declared a “major incident” at the RAF Fairford base, a bomb squad was dispatched to Whelford village with extra security measures, including the fortification of entrances to the base. Road blocks were also seen in the area over the weekend.
🚨BREAKING: 🇬🇧 UK police find EXPLOSIVES less than 1 mile from airbase used for attacks on Iran Several men have been arrested over suspected explosives offences in Gloucestershire, triggering the evacuation of homes in the village of Whelford. Army bomb-disposal specialists… — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 27, 2026
The British government said Prime Minister Andy Burnham was being updated about the incident. “We are grateful to the emergency services, who have acted quickly to detain several suspects and put measures in place to keep the community safe. It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing,” a government spokesperson said.
I would like to thank all those emergency and specialist teams who have acted so swiftly regarding the incident in Gloucestershire. 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. https://t.co/gVQvYhg1qS — Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) September 27, 2026
Notably, the UK administration had allowed the US to use RAF Fairford base to attack Iranian missile sites that were hitting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had threatened in July that any base being used to strike the Islamic Republic will be a legitimate target.
Describing the area where the arrests took place, a Reuters report stated that nearly 30 emergency vehicles, including ambulances, fire engines, and police cars were parked in the Fairford village near the air base, while a helicopter flew above.
Defence Minister Wes Streeting, in a post on X, “thanked “emergency and specialist teams” deployed to the scene. “We can be reassured that this is being dealt with,” Streeting added. “A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident,” Gloucestershire Police said.
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