Several men arrested near RAF Fairford as UK police declare major incident

Police in Britain have detained several men suspected of explosives offences in the area around RAF Fairford, a southwest England air base that American forces have used for strikes on Iran. The Times of Israel, citing Reuters, reported on Sunday that Gloucestershire Police declared a major incident, and that soldiers were checking several vehicles, following a tightening of security at the base.

According to a Gloucestershire Police statement quoted in that report, residents of some homes around Whelford, a village close to the base, were being moved out, and the arrests were made under the Explosives Act. A Reuters eyewitness described armed officers blocking access to the base's main gate, with around 30 emergency vehicles, among them police cars, ambulances and fire engines, gathered in the nearby village of Fairford. Abu Ali Express reported that police said the incident was under control and the area had been sealed off, and Ynet likewise carried a British statement that the situation was under control.

What RAF Fairford is

RAF stands for Royal Air Force, the British air arm. RAF Fairford is a British base in Gloucestershire, in southwest England, but it hosts American forces and has served as a deployment site for US bombers. Photographs published alongside the reports show US Air Force ground crews there preparing munitions for a B-1 Lancer bomber on March 12, 2026, and munitions being unloaded from a cargo plane on March 26, 2026.

Haaretz, carrying a Reuters dispatch, described the base as one used by US forces for strikes on Iranian missile sites. The Times of Israel added that the British government had authorised Washington to use Fairford to hit Iranian missile sites that were firing on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Abu Ali Express said American bombers have flown from the base since the conflict with Iran began in late February.

Iranian threats and a raised alert

Ynet reported that Iran had previously threatened to target Fairford if American bombers kept taking off from it for attacks on Iranian territory. The same outlet said security at the base had been increased over recent days and, citing a report, that a "Delta" alert had been declared there, which it described as the highest level.

Channel 12 news (N12), in a post by its correspondent Asaf Rosenzweig, attributed the Delta detail to the British newspaper the Daily Mail. According to N12, Delta is the highest threat level the US Department of Defense can declare for a facility.

The vehicles and the question of car bombs

The official account is limited to the army examining vehicles. The Times of Israel report quotes police as referring to the army's specialist explosive ordnance disposal teams, the military bomb disposal units, and Israel Hayom said these teams inspected vehicles as emergency crews responded.

Beyond that, the reports diverge in tone. Ynet's headline spoke of suspected car bombs and said bomb disposal experts were called out over fears that vehicles had been rigged. N12, relaying the Daily Mail, said the possibility of a car bomb threat against the base was being looked into but stressed that no official had confirmed it. Readers should treat the car bomb element as reported speculation rather than an established fact.

How the story broke

Early word came through Hebrew-language alert channels, with Ynet's alerts service flashing a British report of arrests in an explosives incident at the US air force base. Fuller accounts followed from Reuters material carried by English-language Israeli outlets. The core facts, several arrests under the Explosives Act, a major incident declaration, evacuations in Whelford and army checks on vehicles, are consistent across all of them.

What the reports do not say

• How many men were arrested, who they are, or whether they have been charged. Police said only "several".
• Whether any explosives or devices were actually found in the vehicles being examined.
• Whether police believe the suspects intended to target the base, or what motive, if any, is suspected.
• How many properties were evacuated, or when residents may return.
• Whether the Delta alert has been officially confirmed by US or British authorities. It rests on a Daily Mail report.
• Whether operations at the base were affected.