Five men arrested at UK airbase are all UK nationals from London, say police

Five men arrested on suspicion of terror offences at a UK airbase are all British nationals from London in their 20s, counter-terrorism police have said.The men were pictured on Sunday being apprehended, shirtless, near the RAF base in Gloucestershire, which is being used by the US air force in its operations against Iran.Three of them were 24, one was 25 and one 23, and three resided in Westminster, another in Camden, and another in Willseden, police said. Officers said they were being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and a custody extension had been secured until later on Monday.The suspects were arrestedon Sunday morning following reports of three vehicles travelling towards the airbase at 12.45am. They were detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and preparation of a terrorist act contrary to section five of the Terrorism Act.Counter-terrorism policing said investigators were examining the scene overnight and had been carrying out a range of activity that had led to multiple new lines of enquiry.Eighty-five households were evacuated from the village on Sunday, and a large police and emergency services presence has been there ever since. Police said they were using “significant numbers of resources, including military assets” at the location, adding: “We are working hard to minimise disruption to local communities, but ask for their patience, as our work continues at the scene.”Deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans, the counter-terrorism policing senior national coordinator, said: “This is a hugely complex and large-scale operation, involving local and national policing, the MOD [Ministry of Defence], and local agencies, who are working together to progress the investigation and support for the community.“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.“I am very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident, and the geopolitical questions that are being raised. However, I ask that at this time, Counter Terrorism Policing are given the space to work carefully and clearly.”A US F-35 manoeuvres at a RAF base. Security measures have been stepped up at UK military bases that support US forces following a major incident at RAF Fairford on Sunday. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Armed police man a cordon outside RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Photograph: EPA There is still a cordon in place at the location but police said they would be reviewing it later today.US president Donald Trump commented on the incident at the weekend, saying the suspects were “looking to do big damage” to the facility. Trump credited British authorities with foiling the incident early Sunday at the base, which is a key launching point for US strikes against Iran.“There is no doubt that the Iranian regime poses a threat to this country, our interests and our allies,” the UK’s defence minister Wes Streeting told Bloomberg on Monday. “We will stand together with our friends and allies to deter and repel any attempts by Iranian or Iranian-backed agents who would do us harm.”Streeting referenced the case at the top of his remarks to the Labour conference, saying the UK’s “our friendship with America is the closest alliance of any two nations on earth,” and that the allies would “always stand together against those who hate our freedom and those who wish us harm.”RAF Fairford serves as the preferred bomber forward operating location in Europe for the US Air Force Global Strike Command. UK prime minister Andy Burnham in July approved the use of the base by the US for “defensive strikes” against Iran, continuing the policy of his predecessor, Keir Starmer.Streeting also reiterated Britain’s commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to increase defense spending to 3.5 per cent of economic output by 2035, describing it as a “cast iron guarantee” in his speech to the conference floor. Still, he balked at firming up the timeline.“We know perfectly well that if we’re out there making unfunded commitments, the markets price in risk and that we face higher borrowing costs,” Streeting told Bloomberg in the interview. - Guardian/Bloomberg