Major Incident Near U.S. Base

Forensic investigator marking evidence at crash scene — Photo: ESB Professional / Shutterstock

British police arrested several men and evacuated homes near a U.S.-used air base after declaring a “major incident” tied to suspected explosives offenses.

Story Snapshot

Gloucestershire Police arrested several men on suspicion of Explosives Act offenses near RAF Fairford.
An Army bomb disposal team examined multiple vehicles at the scene.
Homes in the village of Whelford were evacuated to a nearby leisure centre.
Counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation.
RAF Fairford has hosted U.S. Air Force operations tied to recent strikes on Iran.

Arrests Trigger Major Incident Near U.S.-Used Base

Gloucestershire Police declared a major incident Sunday after arresting several men on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act. Police said the declaration followed “the arrest of several men on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act,” and confirmed a number of properties in the Whelford area were being evacuated as the investigation unfolded.

The arrests happened close to RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base long used by the United States Air Force. Reuters and the BBC both reported the base’s connection to the incident, tying the police response directly to a site with an active U.S. military presence.

Bomb Squad Deployed To Examine Vehicles

The Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team arrived to inspect several vehicles at the scene, according to the police statement quoted by multiple outlets. Their presence confirmed the explosives-related basis for the emergency response, even though officials have not said whether any device was actually found.

Residents of Whelford were moved out of their homes and taken to a leisure centre while officers and bomb specialists worked at the site. Local and national outlets described a heavy emergency presence in the area throughout the day, reflecting the scale of the response to a rural village rarely in the national spotlight.

Counter-Terrorism Police Take Over Case

Investigators from counter-terrorism policing units later took charge of the inquiry, according to reporting from the BBC and the Independent. The shift signals that authorities treated the case as a serious security matter rather than a routine criminal arrest, even though police have not released the suspects’ identities or specific allegations.

The operation was not intelligence-led, meaning investigators had no advance warning before the men were arrested, the Press Association reported. That detail suggests police responded to information or events discovered in real time rather than acting on a pre-existing tip about a planned attack.

Base Tied To Recent Iran Operations

RAF Fairford has served as a forward operating location for the U.S. Air Force, including during recent American military action against Iran. The base’s history as a launch point for strikes on Iranian targets adds context to why police and military resources responded so quickly once explosives were suspected nearby.

THIS MORNING. RAF FAIRFORD. 00:45.

A pensioner called 999. Not MI5. Not GCHQ. A villager spotted three suspicious vans heading toward a US bomber base and dialled 999.

Five men arrested under the Explosives Act, then upgraded to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act: preparation of a… pic.twitter.com/GdVROzs1pV

— Christian (@InTheTrenchesUK) September 27, 2026

No official statement has confirmed the exact number of men arrested, with some reports citing “several” and others citing five. Police have also not disclosed whether any explosive material was recovered, leaving the precise scope of the alleged offenses undefined as the investigation continues.