Police investigating possible terror link after arrests near US air base in England

LONDON (AP) — British police arrested five men on Sunday on suspicion of planning an act of terrorism and explosives offenses outside RAF Fairford, a military base in the west of England operated by the US Air Force.

Three suspicious vehicles are searched and counter-terrorism officers are investigating.

Here’s what you need to know about the basics.

Fairford is a base for American bombers

RAF Fairford, located approximately 100 miles west of London, is one of several British bases used by the US Air Force under an agreement dating back to the 1950s. It is home to the headquarters of the US Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and is a forward operating site for the US Air Force’s Global Strike Command.

According to the House of Commons Library, around 11,000 US military personnel are stationed at various sites in Britain. The number of American personnel at RAF Fairford is not publicly available.

Fairford’s long airstrip makes it suitable for heavy bombers, and it has been used in conflicts such as the Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq War and this year’s US-Israeli war with Iran.

It was used for strikes against Iran

Britain did not join the US-Israeli war against Iran which began on February 28 and initially rejected President Donald Trump’s request to use bases in the UK to strike Iran. But then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced days later that he had agreed to let the United States use bases in Britain for “defensive” operations against Iranian missiles and their launch sites following Iranian attacks on British interests and Britain’s allies in the Gulf.

American B-1 and B-52 bombers took off from Fairford for operations during the Iranian conflict.

Security is tightened at American bases in Great Britain

Anti-war activists have repeatedly demonstrated outside the base’s perimeter fence since the start of the war in Iran.

It is unclear whether these arrests are linked to the war in Iran. British security officials say Iran-linked proxies are behind a series of arsons and sabotage attempts in the United Kingdom and other countries, many of them targeting the Jewish community. They have already warned that Tehran could expand its targets in the UK if conflicts in the Middle East continue.

Some local residents said security appeared to have been increased around RAF Fairford in recent days, with heavy vehicles parked outside the entrance gates.

Another US base, RAF Lakenheath in eastern England, confirmed it was on Charlie alert, the second highest threat level that can be issued by the US Department of Defense. According to U.S. military websites, the Charlie force protection condition “applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action targeting personnel or installations is likely.”

There was no immediate confirmation of the threat level at RAF Fairford. U.S. European Command said it would not discuss “specific force protection measures.”