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U.K. police say they arrested multiple suspects for offenses under the “Explosives Act” near a U.S. airbase in southwest England on Sunday.
Gloucestershire Police say the arrests took place just two miles from RAF Fairford, which hosts U.S. Air Force assets. The U.S. has recently used the base in operations relating 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. “It 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 has been declared, with armed police manning a cordon near the village of Whelford in Gloucestershire, near RAF Fairford which is used by the United States Air Force (USAF). Picture date: Sunday, September 27, 2026. (Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)
“The Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team are currently examining a number of vehicles,” police added.
Authorities did not name the suspects or detail exactly how many were arrested.
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting wrote on X that the situation is “being dealt with.”
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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 in Gloucestershire a “legitimate target” after U.S. 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 updated on the incident in Gloucestershire,” The UK Defense Ministry said in another statement.
“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,” the statement continued.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing,” it added.
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The incident comes roughly a month after Iran-linked hackers were suspected of forcing a small British power generator offline for several days this summer.
The British shutdown came weeks after hackers struck 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. Several news outlets, citing U.S. officials and a leaked industry threat-sharing memo, reported that Iran was the likely culprit.
Members of the US military offload equipment from a US Air Force C-5 Galaxy at RAF Fairford in Southwest England on March 6, 2026. Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given approval for Washington to use the bases of 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 retaliations. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
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Federal agencies have also warned that Iranian-affiliated actors have targeted similar industrial devices across water, energy and government sectors, seeking access to the software used to control them. That activity has already caused operational disruptions and financial losses.