British authorities stripped five men to check for suicide vests after intercepting them just minutes from a military installation where U.S. Air Force bombers have been launching strikes against Iran.
The dramatic early Sunday arrests near RAF Fairford in southwestern England may represent a thwarted attack on one of America’s most strategically important forward operating locations in Europe. The base serves as home to the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command and has recently hosted B-52 and B-1 bombers conducting operations against Iranian targets.
President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that American intelligence played a direct role in stopping what could have been a catastrophic strike against U.S. military personnel and assets.
“The arrest in the UK was fantastic,” Trump told reporters. “Working with Britain, it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation.”
The president revealed the suspects had been monitored for an extended period before authorities moved in. “We had them under watch for a long time,” he said, adding that the group was “looking to do big damage.”
Metropolitan Police received an alert around 12:45 a.m. about three suspicious vehicles apparently headed toward the base. Armed officers descended on the nearby village of Whelford and detained all five men. They were initially held on suspicion of explosives offenses before being rearrested on terrorism preparation charges.
The threat was serious enough that authorities evacuated approximately 85 households and established a 400-meter cordon around the vehicles. Army bomb disposal specialists were called in to examine them while displaced residents took shelter at a local recreation center.
“We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Counter Terrorism Policing’s senior national coordinator. “We continue to work with Gloucestershire Police to keep the community safe as we work to gather evidence from the scene.”
The arrests come against a backdrop of Iranian threats against American installations across Europe. In August, sources close to the Iranian regime warned of retaliation if the U.S. escalated military action. “Should the US go too far, Iran will defend itself at any price, go beyond the region and hit Europe, too,” the source said.
The Telegraph reported that investigators are actively exploring whether the Iranian regime has any connection to the suspected plot.
Gloucestershire Police Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone confirmed that emergency services had protocols in place for major incidents and warned residents to expect a continued police presence in the area.
The suspected plot represents exactly the kind of threat security officials have warned about as tensions with Iran continue to escalate. RAF Fairford’s role as a launching point for American bomber operations makes it a high-value target for adversaries seeking to strike back at U.S. military power projection in the region.
