Gloucestershire Police said an Army specialist explosive ordnance disposal team was examining a number of vehicles as officers maintained a cordon around the affected area. Residents from several properties were moved to a nearby leisure centre while emergency services carried out their operation.
The force said it believed the incident had been contained and was working with partner agencies under established emergency plans. Authorities had not disclosed what prompted the arrests, what investigators had found in the vehicles or the identities of those detained.
Counter-terrorism police were leading the investigation, according to Whitehall officials cited by British broadcasters. Police had not established publicly whether the arrests were connected with RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force station used by the United States Air Force.
The distinction remained important as the investigation developed. RAF Fairford has been operating under heightened security amid the conflict involving the United States and Iran, but authorities had not attributed Sunday’s incident to Iran or any other state or organisation.
Armed police were positioned on roads around the base and access points were blocked as emergency personnel gathered in the area. About 30 emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances and fire engines, were seen around Fairford during the response.
The US Air Force said it was aware of the situation but would not discuss specific force-protection measures. A spokesperson said the 501st Combat Support Wing and other US wings based in Britain remained vigilant and would take appropriate action to protect service personnel, civilians, contractors and their families.
“We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families,” the spokesperson said.
RAF Fairford, in south-west England, has hosted US long-range bombers and has been used during American military operations against Iran. The British government authorised the United States to use the base for limited strikes against Iranian missile sites involved in attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
That role has increased attention on security around the Gloucestershire installation. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had previously warned that bases used for attacks against Iran could be regarded as legitimate targets, while Britain’s government said its armed forces were prepared to protect the country against any attack.
No official statement on Sunday linked that warning to the arrests or the police operation, and investigators had not announced a motive.
A British government spokesperson said Prime Minister Andy Burnham was being kept updated on developments and thanked emergency services for acting quickly to detain suspects and introduce measures intended to protect the local community.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting also thanked emergency and specialist teams responding to the incident, saying the situation was being dealt with.
Police described the evacuations as precautionary while specialists assessed the vehicles. The presence of explosive ordnance disposal personnel did not, by itself, establish that explosives had been discovered, and authorities had not announced that any device had been recovered.
Whelford lies immediately beside the Fairford area, with roads around the village providing access towards the airfield. The police cordon restricted movement while investigators and military specialists worked at the scene.
RAF Fairford is a British military airfield that serves as a forward operating location for US forces, including strategic bomber deployments. Its use has taken on greater operational significance during the Iran conflict, bringing additional security precautions around the installation.
Sunday’s operation began after the men were taken into custody during the morning. Police urged people to avoid the affected area while the investigation continued and gave no timetable for lifting the cordon or allowing evacuated residents to return home.
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