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British police were questioning five men on Monday on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences after their detention near an airbase used by the U.S. to strike Iran.
Officers arrested the men in the early hours of Sunday after a tipoff that three large white vans were heading to the military airfield of RAF Fairford in west England.
British counterterrorism police said they were “working to establish the full circumstances of the activity of those arrested, their knowledge and any motivation behind this incident.”
Officials said the five suspects were all British nationals from various London boroughs, between the ages of 23 and 25.
Police can hold those arrested for 14 days before they must be charged or released.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the suspects had been looking to do “big damage” and had been under investigation by British and American authorities. But it’s unknown whether the suspects were under the level of surveillance that Trump suggested.
“I am very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident, and the geopolitical questions that are being raised,” Vicki Evans, deputy assistant commissioner of Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said in the Monday statement. “However, I ask that at this time, CTP are given the space to work carefully and clearly.”
The Iranian Embassy in London said in a statement that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations” surrounding the arrests.
The British government has said Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being regularly updated on the incident and he dropped out of attending several events at his Labour Party’s annual conference on Sunday.
A local farmer, who has not been named, said she had alerted police after seeing a group of “hooded and masked men” running into the fields.
“I believe that my 999 call foiled whatever plans they had,” the farmer told BBC Radio, referring to the British equivalent to 911.
Defence Minister Wes Streeting told the BBC that the farmer had only a “partial picture” and said he would not speculate about motives of a live investigation.
Base used by U.S. during Iran war
In Fairford, police have imposed a 400-metre cordon around the base and evacuated residents from 85 homes.
“I know this has been incredibly disruptive for local people, but I’d like to reassure them that our activity is in the interest of national security, but most importantly in the interest of their own safety,” said Evans.
A bomb disposal robot could be seen on Sunday operating around the three white vans, while security was stepped up around the base. Armed police stood guard at the main entrance while large machinery was used to block other access points.
Security was also stepped up at other U.S. bases in Britain.
Responding to the Fairford arrests, the U.S. Embassy issued a security alert, saying U.S. citizens should “exercise caution” and be “mindful of personal security.”
U.S.-associated facilities, gatherings and organizations may be at heightened risk,” the statement said.
In April, Britain had raised its national terrorism threat level to “severe” from “substantial” after a series of antisemitic incidents in north London, indicating a terrorist attack within the six months is considered highly likely.
In May, Britain sanctioned 12 individuals and entities linked to Iran, accusing them of involvement in hostile activity, including plotting attacks and providing financial services to groups seeking to destabilize the U.K. and other countries.
The British government had given authorization to the U.S. to use bombers based at Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had warned Britain in July not to allow U.S. bombers to fly from Fairford, saying any base used to launch attacks would be a legitimate target.
“We know that Iran and their proxies wish to do us harm. We know that they hate our democracy, and we know that we regularly have to thwart Iranian attempts to threaten either our interests or indeed our allies,” Streeting told BBC.
Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in attacks or plots in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
