LONDON — Residents of a number of homes in the western English village of Whelford were evacuated and several men were detained on Sunday after police received reports of suspected explosives offenses near RAF Fairford, an air base that American forces have used during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Gloucestershire Police said residents of "a number of properties" in Whelford were taken to a nearby leisure center while emergency services worked at the scene. The force said the situation had been "contained" and that a cordon remained in place around the affected area, adding that it wanted to reassure residents who had been uprooted at short notice.
Photographs from the scene show emergency service vehicles stationed close to the base on Sunday morning. Images distributed by the Associated Press, credited to Ben Birchall of Press Association, depict responders gathered on a road in the village, a short distance from the air base's perimeter.
The arrests followed an operation in which military bomb-disposal experts were called in to examine several vehicles. Gloucestershire Police said several men had been detained on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act, the long-standing British statute that gives police broad powers to search for, seize and destroy explosive materials and to charge suspects with possessing or making devices without proper authority. Detectives have not publicly outlined what the men are alleged to have been doing, how many vehicles were involved, or whether any devices were found.
Whelford lies near RAF Fairford, a base that U.S. forces have used for what American officials have described as strictly limited strikes during the war with Iran. After the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, the British government gave permission for the American military to use Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites. That decision transformed a base with a long-standing role in Britain's own air force into a venue for U.S. operations, placing it at the center of an international military campaign.
Investigators have not confirmed whether the arrests are connected to the base or to the U.S. presence there. That distinction is likely to shape the inquiry in the days ahead: British authorities will need to establish what prompted the evacuation, whether anyone was seeking to target the base or its personnel, and whether the activity was domestic in origin or linked to the wider conflict. Police have said only that the men were detained on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act.
Gloucestershire Police said in a statement that "a cordon is currently in place, but we'd like to reassure people that we believe this incident is contained." The phrasing reflected a message officials have repeated during similar incidents: the immediate danger to the public had been reduced, even as the criminal investigation continues.
Counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation, something authorities said is normal in similar circumstances. Under standard British practice, cases involving suspected explosive materials near sensitive sites or critical infrastructure are typically handed to the Counter Terrorism Policing units, who retain oversight while local forces secure the scene and conduct initial evidence-gathering. Such inquiries are typically lengthy and can involve hundreds of searches, digital examinations and interviews.
Britain's Defense Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the emergency and specialist teams who responded to the incident, saying: "We can be reassured that this is being dealt with." His comment came shortly after officials confirmed that the evacuations had been carried out without reported casualties.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is receiving regular updates on the situation, his office said, indicating that the incident has been elevated to the highest levels of government. Downing Street has not published further details, and officials have not said whether the arrests relate to Fairford's role in U.S. operations against Iranian targets — a point of interest given the base's elevated profile since February.
A U.S. Air Force spokesperson said personnel based at RAF Fairford "remain vigilant" but declined to discuss specific force protection measures, citing security reasons. The spokesperson added: "We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families."
That language echoed the standard formula used by American military spokespeople after security incidents at bases abroad, in which security details are almost always withheld. Defense officials generally avoid describing access controls, surveillance systems or force levels at installations, on the argument that such details could help anyone planning an attack. Security experts have long noted that such discretion leaves the public reliant on official assurances during fast-moving incidents, and that the level of detail provided can itself signal how serious officials consider a threat to be.
The evacuations came on a Sunday morning, with residents given little notice before being moved to a leisure center several minutes away. Police said the response was precautionary and that residents could return to their homes once the cordon was lifted, though no timeline for lifting it was given.
The story was published by NPR on Sept. 27, 2026, and reported by The Associated Press. NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews. Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR.
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