Several men have been arrested on suspicion of explosives-related offenses in a village near an air base used by US forces, police in southwestern England said on Sunday. Gloucestershire Police said it had declared a serious incident and evacuated “a number of properties” in the Whelford area following the arrest of “a number of men on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act”, a reference to the country’s laws on explosives. Authorities also said a bomb disposal team was at the scene examining several vehicles. A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford March 19, 2026 in Fairford, England. Leon Neal/Getty Images Some local residents were evacuated, police said, and a cordon was established, but the incident is said to have been “contained.” The town of Whelford is close to RAF Fairford, a base that US forces have used for strictly limited strikes during the war with Iran. After the start of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28, the UK government allowed the US military to use the Fairford base to attack Iranian missile sites. However, police did not confirm to the Associated Press whether the arrests were related to the base. A US Air Force spokesman said its personnel based at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant” but would not discuss specific force protection measures for security reasons. “We constantly evaluate a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our facilities, our people and their families,” the spokesperson said. Security measures have been significantly increased in recent days at the air base, according to a witness quoted by the Reuters news agency who said there were more roadblocks and armed police preventing access. A UK government spokesperson thanked the emergency services for acting quickly and added that it would be “inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing”. breaking news. Please check back for updates. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
