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British police said they arrested several suspects on Sunday for offenses under the “Explosives Act” near a US air base in southwest England.
Gloucestershire Police say the arrests took place just two miles from RAF Fairford, which hosts US Air Force assets. The United States has recently used the base in operations related to the war in Iran.
“A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident,” Gloucestershire Police said in a statement. “This follows the arrest of several men on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act.”
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Police at a road block on the road to RAF Fairford after a major incident was declared, with armed officers manning a cordon near the village of Whelford in Gloucestershire, close to RAF Fairford which is used by the US Air Force (USAF). Photo date: Sunday September 27, 2026. (Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)
“The army’s specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal team is currently examining a number of vehicles,” police added.
Authorities have not named the suspects or said how many of them have been arrested.
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting wrote on X that the situation was “being resolved.”
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A B1 bomber at RAF Fairford on July 25, 2026, in Fairford, England. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has declared RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, a “legitimate target” after US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers used the British base to launch defensive bombing missions against Iranian military targets. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
“The Prime Minister is being kept informed of the incident in Gloucestershire,” the British Ministry of Defense said in a separate statement.
“We are grateful to emergency services, who acted quickly to arrest several suspects and put measures in place to keep the community safe,” the statement continued.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing,” he added.
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The incident comes about a month after hackers linked to Iran were suspected of forcing a small British power generator offline for several days this summer.
The UK shutdown came weeks after hackers attacked more than 30 community water systems in Minnesota, accessing technology used to remotely monitor and control pumps and other equipment. Minnesota officials have not publicly attributed the attacks. Multiple media outlets, citing U.S. officials and a leaked industry threat-sharing memo, reported that Iran was the likely culprit.
Members of the U.S. military unload equipment from a U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy at RAF Fairford, southwest England, March 6, 2026. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave Washington approval to use the bases at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in southwest England to bomb Iranian missile sites, after several Gulf countries were targeted by Iranian retaliation. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
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Federal agencies also warned that actors affiliated with Iran have targeted similar industrial devices in the water, energy and government sectors, seeking access to the software used to control them. This activity has already caused operational disruptions and financial losses.
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