Vehicles carrying explosives headed for a Royal Air Force (RAF) base hosting U.S. troops intercepted; residents evacuated

[Financial News] A major incident involving a suspected explosives attack has occurred near a British air base used by U.S. bombers as a launch site for strikes on Iran, prompting CTP to begin an investigation.
According to the Financial Times (FT), The New York Times (NYT) and others, three suspicious vans traveling toward RAF Fairford were intercepted by police in Welford, near the base, at around 12:45 a.m. local time on the 27th. Police arrested five men at the scene on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act. They later expanded the investigation, led by CTP, to include suspected preparations for terrorism under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
Police formally declared the matter a “major incident,” allowing them to request support from nearby police forces. Military explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel and robots were deployed to search the vehicles in detail. As a precaution, the area within a 400-meter radius of the vehicles was completely cordoned off, and residents of 85 nearby households were evacuated.
RAF Fairford, the site of the incident, serves as a forward operating base in Europe for the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command. It hosts the 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron. With a runway approximately 3,000 meters long, the base has been used as a key launch site where the United States loads B-52 Stratofortress and Rockwell B-1 Lancer bombers with explosives and sends them to strike Iran. These U.S. military operations were approved during the tenure of former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and current Prime Minister Andy Burnham is continuing the policy.
Whether the incident was a direct terrorist attempt targeting the U.S. airstrike campaign against Iran has not yet been officially confirmed. However, security authorities in Britain and across Europe had recently issued repeated warnings about so-called “hybrid attacks,” such as arson and terrorism, carried out by proxy groups backed by Russia or Iran while concealing their sponsors. As a result, tensions are mounting.
The British prime minister’s office said Prime Minister Andy Burnham was receiving regular briefings on the situation and had thanked first responders and police for quickly detaining the suspects. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting also praised the military and police for maintaining a 24-hour response posture in a social media post.
The USAF said in a statement, "For operational security reasons, we will not discuss specific protective measures, but we remain vigilant to ensure the safety of U.S. service members and their families, as well as the local community. We thank British police for their swift response and are working closely with local partners." 

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