British police arrest 5 at US air base on suspicion of terrorism offenses

British police arrested five men near a U.S. air base on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offenses on Sept. 27 after a tip-off that three vans had been heading to the military airfield which has been used to strike Iran.

Counter terrorism detectives leading the investigation said police had received a call about three suspicious vehicles which appeared to be travelling toward RAF Fairford in the west of England early in the morning.

Five men were arrested by armed officers and later held on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. Police said they believed the incident was now contained.

"We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody," Counter Terrorism Policing Senior National Coordinator Vicki Evans said in a statement.

"As you would expect we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident."

Police said a quarter-mile cordon was in place around the base as the bomb disposal unit investigated the vans. Local residents were evacuated and armed officers were patrolling the site.

The British government, which has given authorization to the United States to use bombers based at Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/