Five arrested over alleged terror plot at UK air base, suspects linked to Iran

British counterterrorism police arrested five men on suspicion of terrorism offenses near RAF Fairford, a US-operated air base in Gloucestershire, after materials found in vans were initially assessed as improvised explosive devices, The Guardian reported. Residents of 85 homes in the nearby village of Welford were evacuated and a 400-meter cordon set up around the vehicles.

One van bore the logo and a slightly wrong phone number of a real fuel company, which said it had no connection to the incident and had not authorized use of its name. Investigators are examining a possible Iranian link as one line of inquiry, though officials caution nothing has been ruled out and no connection is confirmed.

President Trump said the suspects had been under law enforcement surveillance for some time and had planned serious damage to the base, which handles US strategic bomber deployments. Local authorities have not disclosed a motive.

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