FAIRFORD, England — British police are questioning five men on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses after they were detained near an air base that has been used by the US to strike Iran.
Officers detained the three men in the early hours of Sunday after they received a tip-off that three large white vans had been seen heading to the military airfield of RAF Fairford in the west of England.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting tells BBC News that he would not speculate about motives of a live investigation.
But he adds on the general Iranian threat to the country: “We know that Iran and their proxies wish to do us harm. We know that they hate our democracy, and we know that we regularly have to thwart Iranian attempts to threaten either our interests or indeed our allies.”
In May, Britain sanctioned 12 individuals and entities linked to Iran, accusing them of involvement in hostile activity including plotting attacks and providing financial services to groups seeking to destabilize the UK and other countries.
Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in attacks or plots in the UK and elsewhere.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 28, 2026
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