Terrorism in Great Britain, explosives near a military base: who are the 5 arrested

The five men, arrested following the incident which occurred in Fairford, England, near an RAF base used by US forces, are all British citizens aged between 23 and 25. This was announced by the British anti-terrorism police, specifying that the custody of the five has been extended until the end of the day.

The men were arrested on charges of crimes under the Explosives Act and preparation of a terrorist act, in violation of section 5 of the Terrorism Act. The investigators conducted a series of activities which brought to light “numerous new investigative leads“anti-terrorism police said.

Fairford Air Force Base is home to a large number of U.S. Air Force personnel and operations. Security measures at the air base have been significantly tightened in recent days. The US military said it was “working closely” with its British counterparts. “We are working closely with our UK counterparts to monitor this situation, minimize impacts and ensure the safety of US personnel, their families and the local community,” a spokesperson said.

The possible connection with Iran

The British military base had been used by the US in Gloucestershire for their operations in Iran. The alarm was raised at 00.45 London time (1.45 in Italy) when three suspicious vans were reported approaching the base. Gloucestershire’s acting chief constable, Maggie Blyth, said this evening that a specialist explosives disposal unit continues to examine the three vehicles near Whelford. Blyth herself explained that counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation and will decide whether the case should be declared a terrorist incident. At the moment no decision has been made in this sense but investigations are underway to establish whether the alleged plot is linked to Iran or not. Investigators are also examining the possible involvement of other hostile states or other potential suspects.

Returning to the chronology of the day, according to the ‘Bbc’, a local resident alerted the police, observing suspicious activity around the military base in the early hours of the morning. The same resident says she saw the three parked vans and a group of men wearing masks.